When Will It Be Enough To Act ?

It has not been quite two years since the tragedy in Newtown (Connecticut), and nothing has been done to address that kind of school violence. And since then, there have been another 95 school shootings. No other nation has this kind of problem. When is the United States going to act to prevent this nonsense?

I know some of you may be saying at this point that I am in favor of taking guns away from honest law-abiding Americans, but that is not true. I grew up in Texas, where gun ownership is commonplace and I have no problem with law-abiding and sensible people owning guns. And unlike some of my progressive brothers and sisters, I can read the Second Amendment and know it gives citizens the right to own firearms (whether they are in a militia or not).

But this right is not an absolute one. The Supreme Court has ruled that the government has the right to exclude some people from the right to own a gun -- especially those with a criminal record and those who are dangerously mentally ill. I ask my fellow Texans (and other Americans), do you really want convicted criminals and those deemed by medical officials to be dangerous to have easy access to firearms? Only a fool can answer that question with a "yes".

So why then are we not demanding our elected officials close the loopholes in the background check law for the purchase of firearms? About 40% of all the guns sold in this country are not subject to a background check, because they are purchased at gun shows, off the internet or through the mail, or bought from an individual. We need to plug these holes. No gun should be able to be purchased legally without a background check.

Some of you will undoubtably come back with the tired old "they'll just buy it illegally then" argument. Some will, but it is not as easy to purchase an illegal gun as many seem to think. It is much more expensive, and the severe penalties for doing it keep many from trying to buy or sell an illegal gun. The truth is that a thorough background check law, without loopholes, will keep guns out of the hands of many dangerous people.

Let me finish by saying that no one is trying to outlaw guns or take them away from law-abiding citizens -- not the president, not the Democrats, not anyone. But this doesn't mean we shouldn't have some reasonable laws to control the sale and possession of guns. That's just common sense.