The graphic above may be shocking, but it is true. In 2015, which is now 8 months old, the United States has averaged one mass shooting every single day. That's with the definition of a mass shooting being that four people or more are shot.
The latest shooting being covered by the mainstream media concerns the shooting of two news personalities in Virginia (both of whom were killed) and the person they were interviewing (who thankfully is still alive). Using the above definition, this doesn't even qualify as a "mass shooting" -- but it does once again point out that we have a serious problem with gun violence in the United States.
I know the gun-lovers will whine that this was a mental illness problem, and not a gun problem. They are half-right. The shooter was mentally ill. And we (Republican legislators mostly) have cut far too much funding from care for the mentally ill. That funding badly needs to be restored and people like this shooter, who exhibited many instances of rage in the past, need to be forced to get treatment.
But like it or not, we do have a gun problem in this country. Although only about a third of households have a gun, there are more than 300 million guns floating around in this country -- nearly enough for every man, woman, and child to have one. That is simply ridiculous.
But even more ridiculous is the fact that any terrorist, criminal, or dangerously mentally ill person in this country can easily and legally buy any kind of gun they want. We have a gun sales background check law, but that law has gaping holes in it. In fact, about 40% of all the guns sold each year in the U.S. are sold legally without a background check being done. That should not be allowed.
By buying at a gun show, through the internet or by mail, or from an individual, anyone (regardless of their background) can legally buy any kind of gun they want -- from a handgun to an assault rifle. It is time to fix that. No gun should be allowed to be sold (or given) to any individual with a background check first being done.
I know many right-wingers and gun-lovers will whine that this violates their Second Amendment right -- but that is not true. The Supreme Court is very clear on this. They have ruled that background checks do not violate the Constitution, and not everyone has the right to own a gun -- only honest and law-abiding citizens have that right. And most Americans agree, with about 80% wanting the holes in the background check law closed.
Sadly though, that is not likely to happen. Too many politicians have sold out to the wishes of the NRA, and the NRA has sold out to the wishes of the gun manufacturers. In this nation, the deaths of U.S. citizens is just not as important as the economic well-being of the gun manufacturers. That was not the intent of the Second Amendment, and it should not be used to accomplish that.
Closing the holes in the background check law won't prevent all gun killings, but it would prevent many -- and that's why it should be done. Lives are more important than profits.
