Well, here we go again. Just when we think Congress might do something constructive about gun violence, President Donald Trump does something off the wall, such as tariffs, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, decides unilaterally that the Senate isn't going to look at gun control.
How is it that McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, can completely control which legislation comes to a vote? Ryan has suggested that nothing is going to come to a vote unless President Trump approves of it. If that's the case, we'll be waiting forever because it appears Trump has the attention span of a 2-year-old.
Congress needs to pass a simple bill with three provisions:
- An increase in the minimum age for buying long guns to 21, with exceptions for law enforcement and military personnel.
- Universal background checks.
- A ban on bump stocks and any other devices that increase the rate of fire of semiautomatic firearms.
I'm a member of the National Rifle Association, and I'm a believer in the Second amendment. But I also believe that some people out there shouldn't be allowed to buy guns of any type.
Graydon Giesfeldt, Cottage Grove
