I was watching Fareed on CNN this morning, just days after the worst mass shooting in the U.S. He had on the former prime minister of Australia, who talked about how Australia handled gun control. When 35 people were killed in a mass shooting in 1996, the government took bold action. Stricter regulations on obtaining a weapon in the first place, restrictions on the types of guns that could be sold, and a successful buyback program, in which 640,000 guns were turned in by citizens, led to a huge reduction in murder and homicide rates.
The topic of gun control is really not complicated. Why does anyone object to trying to make sure that only mentally sound individuals are issued a gun license? Also, why does anyone object to banning assault and semi-automatic rifles? Is this taking away someone's 2nd ammendment rights? No, it is making sure that guns are issued to men and women who have the mental ability to use guns responsibly. Polls show that 76% of the public want more thorough background checks for those trying to buy a gun, yet Congress refuses to act. Are they that afraid that the NRA is going to target them in the next election? Apparently so. Are they putting country first, or are they just thinking about their next election? We all know the answer.
Go to http://www.factcheck.org/2017/10/gun-control-australia-updated/ and check out this great article by Factcheck. You will see how laws passed in 1996 (by a conservative government) have led to 21 years without another mass murder, and a murder and homicide rate around 1 per 100,000 people. We are #1 in the world in gun ownership (almost 300 million guns in the U.S.) and at the top of the list for murder and homicide. That's not where we want to be, and we must act to change things.
Friday, October 13, 2017
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