This year alone — the past nine months and 2 days — Americans have heard news about 294 mass shootings (four or more people injured or killed by a gun and a shooter).
Tuesday was the 275th day of the year, so in 2015 we've had, on average, a mass shooting every 22 and a half hours.
This year alone, we've had 45 school shootings — more than one a week, to date. And there have been 142 school shootings since the Dec. 14, 2012, massacre in Newtown, Conn.
As of Friday morning, 9,957 people in the United States have been killed by gun violence — just this year.
At least 20,269 have been injured by a firearm — just since Jan. 1.
On average, seven children and teens die every day from gun violence. Five are murdered and two kill themselves.
America's gun homicide rate is 20 times higher than the homicide rates of other developed countries.
Given these horrendous numbers, it is disgusting that Congress and most state legislatures are doing nothing to stem mass shootings and pass sensible gun laws — sensible gun laws that most Americans and most gun owners support. Those sensible gun laws would be universal background checks that are applicable to all sales — private sales and gifts, as well as commercial sales. And those background checks need to have a viable, reasonable way to screen for mental illness in a way that can't be trumped by medical privacy laws.
In the aftermath of Thursday's mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, where at least nine people and the gunman died and at least seven others were wounded, President Obama — for the 15th time in his tenure in the White House — condemned the routine nature of gun violence and mass shootings. He called on Americans to insist that Congress and state legislatures do more to stop the madness.
On Tennessee's Capitol Hill, however, the response from our inane Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey was just the opposite Friday. He encouraged "fellow Christians" to arm themselves because the mentally ill Oregon gunman reportedly singled out Christians.
Ramsey, the Republican Senate speaker, in a Facebook posting said: "[w]hile this is not the time for widespread panic, it is a time to prepare. I would encourage my fellow Christians who are serious about their faith to think about getting a handgun carry permit. I have always believed that it is better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it. Our enemies are armed," Ramsey said. "We must do likewise."
The National Rifle Association owns our state politicians and most of our Congress members. And the NRA of today is not our grandpa's NRA. Today, gunmakers, not sportsmen or gun collectors, own and fund the NRA. That is why sensible gun laws are not enacted.
The Oregon shooter had no criminal convictions, but was widely acknowledged by his family to have had mental issues. He had served a month in the military before being discharged "for failing to meet the minimum administrative standards to serve in the U.S. Army." His family could have gone to a court and asked the court to declare him mentally ill — even take take away his guns. They apparently did not see a need to do that, and actually helped arm him. At the school and the gunman's home, police found that he had at least 13 guns — all puchased legally by himself or his family.
This has to stop. This is not about gun control and its not about banning guns. America needs sensible universal background checks with enforcement limits to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental, emotional and anger issues.
uesday was the 275th day of the year, so in 2015 we've had, on average, a mass shooting every 22 and a half hours.
I guess you would rather be raped and beaten to death then shot since criminals will never abide by gun laws than be given a chance to defend yourself. Well thats fine. Get raped and murdered but for the rest of us we prefer a chance at defending ourselves. The more they make laws against legal honest citizens the more often these mass murderings will happen. Data proves it and as you see the places that are the heaviest regulated are the ones with the most gun violence.
BTW if not guns it would be knives if not knives it would be hatchets. If not hatchets it would be bats. If not bats it would be spoons!
I guess you would rather be raped and beaten to death then shot since criminals will never abide by gun laws than be given a chance to defend yourself. Well thats fine.
You guess wrong. I would rather be protected by trained law enforcement professionals and lock these violent offenders away for life so there's no chance of repeat offenders.
