Action against gun violence, not rhetoric, will stop massacres

So many massacres. So little action. Too much rhetoric with no genuine prevention...

Hopefully, I can encourage some thoughts with a few brief questions/statements

1. There is something drastically wrong in a nation where it’s easier to acquire an assault weapon than it is to vote.

2. It is shameful that the U.S. has an unlimited supply of mass killing machines (300,000,000 guns), but humans don’t have the fundamental right to healthcare.

3. It is obvious that those massacred cannot change this dilemma. Only, we, the living can, unless we’re prepared to be the next victims.

4. Is being gunned down in a church a symbol of prayer’s futility? Didn’t the Bible promise more? Isn’t it our responsibility to seek more?

5. Instead of categorizing our incompetencies to prevent gun violence, let’s do more than respond to such events with a rote condolence. Only when we reckon with the human costs of our indifference and decide to act will the cycle end.

6. The National Rifle Association pronounced that “a good guy with a gun is the best antidote to be a bad guy with a gun.” The truth: Wherever there are more guns, there are more deaths whether within the U.S. or worldwide. Self defense doesn’t prove to save lives. Then, too, the “good guy” almost always arrives after the victims.

Finally, I wish Republicans wouldn’t respond so negatively to any discussion of gun legislation. Are they pretending to care about the victims’ families by saying they are “praying for them?” Where’s our civility? How can we make America great again? How will you respond?

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Action against gun violence, not rhetoric, will stop massacres."