I read stories daily of gun violence and school shootings. Then I listen to shrill rants demanding “common sense” solutions: repeal the Second Amendment, more gun control, ban “military grade weapons,” limit “clip” capacity, outlaw “automatic” weapons, more “gun-free” zones, the NRA are terrorists, etc. Although well-intentioned, these “solutions” are unfortunately ignorant, uninformed and misguided. The lawless, evil and unbalanced individuals who visit mayhem upon our children and neighbors are unaffected by such measures.
I’m encouraged by the April 8 Viewpoint by Michael Leiter and Michael A. Sheehan, “A national plan against mass shooters,” suggests efforts similar to those after 9/11 to develop methods and systems to better identify and react to threats. Sid Gordon’s April 8 letter posits that what was done post-9/11 to keep weapons out of airplanes might keep them out of schools. Both derive from post-9/11 developments. Eliminating air travel to prevent another 9/11 was neither reasonable nor acceptable, so better solutions were found. Can’t we do the same to reduce gun violence without imposing unreasonable restrictions on gun ownership? These ideas don’t threaten our Second Amendment rights.
As a member, I was interested in why the NRA is always the bad guy in these horrors. Their political spending is demonized: The NRA isn’t even a top 50 spending lobbyist. My research revealed: The CDC reports that in 2015 drug overdose deaths totaled 52,898. That same year, non-suicide gun deaths totaled 13,502. Fact: The number five spending lobbyist in D.C. (2016) is the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. They outspent the NRA almost 4-1, and drug overdose deaths outpaced gun deaths in almost the same ratio. Yet, there are no calls to label pharmaceutical lobbyists as “terrorists.” Huh?
Messrs. Leiter, Sheehan and Gordon illustrate
