If only they would quit taking NRA money

As a person who grew up with guns in my home safely under lock and key, I am deeply discouraged that sensible gun safety laws are so abhorrent to so many people.

Try as I may, I cannot imagine our forefathers’ intent in crafting the Second Amendment was to allow us to purchase guns that are capable of shooting hundreds of rounds per minute and massacring dozens of people in very short order. These men took great pride in being able to re-load their single shot muskets quickly. They could not have imagined a country that leads the world in death by firearms.

Why is it that we can regulate airline safety, automobile safety, occupational safety and many other facets of American life, but we can’t even consider laws that limit the destruction of our society? The answer is in the power of the NRA and its political clout and the money that it is able to donate. Congressional incumbents fear what will happen if they support the will of the overwhelming majority of our citizens.

I can’t help but wonder what would happen if all of our legislators decided to take no donations from the NRA and were guided by their conscience as to how to pass sensible gun laws without giving up our right to bear arms. Would there be more focus on intersecting issues such as mental health, poverty or criminal justice? I’m not holding my breath.

This story was originally published October 31, 2017 at 10:12 AM with the headline "If only they would quit taking NRA money."