‘Stop the slaughter of innocent Americans’ by tackling gun control

In statistics gathered from 2001 to 2013, 406,496 Americans died from firearms in our country. During the same period, 3,380 Americans died from acts of terrorism at home and abroad. In the past three weeks alone, at least 84 innocent Americans have died violent deaths from random shooters using weapons and body armor (as reported in Sunday’s mass shooting) that belong on the battlefield, not in communities throughout our country.

My question is, when is the right time for our cowardly elected officials to listen to their constituents and finally break free of the yoke of subservience to the NRA and address the issue of reasonable and effective gun control, to stop the slaughter of innocent Americans as they go about the activities of their daily lives.

It is the proliferation of guns in the hands of those with no respect for the lives of innocents that kill people.

This story was originally published November 7, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "‘Stop the slaughter of innocent Americans’ by tackling gun control."