LETTER Something needs to be done about guns
Imagine getting a phone call that a loved one was just injured or killed by a lunatic with an assault rifle.
This happened in a movie theater, a nightclub, at a mall, a church, and at a school. Time and time again this is happening in our country and nothing is being done. Our Republican leaders do nothing beyond offering “thoughts and prayers” to the victims and their families. Could it be related to the power of the National Rifle Association?
In 2016, after promising to finance his own campaign, President Trump’s campaign took $30 million from the NRA. Republican leaders also had their hands out. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan received an “A” rating from the NRA and $342,564. After the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., last week that left 17 dead, Ryan said we “need to pray.” Vice President Mike Pence, another “thoughts and prayers” guy, received over $32,000 when he was running for governor of Indiana. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, gets a “B+” rating and a whopping $3.2 million from the NRA. Even Jeff Sessions, the U.S. attorney general, took $22,000 from the gun lobby when he was an Alabama senator.
Nine other Republican senators received over $22 million to keep the gun lobby safe. Even Pam Bondi, Florida’s attorney general, gets an “A” rating as a “friend” of the NRA and, of course, $75,000.
These statistics are provided by the Center for Responsible Politics, a nonpartisan organization. They state that 95 percent of Americans support universal background checks for purchasing a gun, 68 percent support a ban on assault weapons, and 75 percent support invoking sensible gun-control laws. Still, congressional Republican leaders block any attempt to let this happen.
The right-wing gun lobby hides behind the Second Amendment when defending their views. But you can’t say whatever you want under the Constitution’s “free speech” provisions. You can’t practice certain activities, such as snake handling and drug use, thanks to our freedom of religion. Why then, do some think that the right to bear arms means owning an assault weapon?
I am not anti-gun. I’m a hunter who owns pistols, rifles and shotguns for hunting. I don’t own an assault weapon. I used to belong to the NRA until I concluded they represent gun manufacturers, not sportsmen. I cannot support an organization that opposes sensible gun laws.
Paul R. Pryor
Washington