Changes to bump stocks aren’t enough, still
Less than a month after the Las Vegas shooting, with no Congressional legislative action taken or a plan in place to stop this gun violence, 26 people were murdered in Texas due to another mass shooting Nov. 8.
When will this stop? When will people wake up and realize that action must be taken to prevent something like this from happening again?
I’m so angry I could cry.
One of the victims was a volunteer teacher for the church. She used herself as a human shield to protect her grandson – he survived. Another victim was the pastor’s 14-year-old daughter. There are countless stories of the people who were killed. All they knew was they were going to the church to work and didn’t know they would never come home.
The responses from members of Congress are even more appalling. They wrote posts of prayers and thoughts for the victims, but nothing about how they would help change it.
We’re beyond thoughts and prayers at this point. How many innocent people need to die before simple action is taken against these violent acts? How much more blood must be spilled before the United States admits this is a deadly problem?
I’m not pretending I know the solution to this. It’s going to be a long road, but inaction is complicity.
Elie Wiesel, author of “Night” and a Holocaust survivor, once said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
One possible route that can be taken is Congress goes after gun manufactures for allowing the ability for the weapon to be modified. Prohibiting or limiting the amount of modifications that can be made to each firearm is a start.
Another route is a buy-back program for accessories such as a bump stock. Making bump stocks illegal and allowing adequate time for the law to take effect gives owners of these accessories time to be reimbursed for the product.
The first step in all this is defining the problem and working together to fix it. This isn’t the government trying to take guns away as the anti-gun control lobby wants everyone to believe.
This is about safety and deterring future carnage. This is supposed to be the country of freedom and opportunity, not violence.
As students of USD, we have a voice and can help change this. Contacting legislatures is simple.
For senators in South Dakota:
John Thune
Phone: (202) 224-2321
Mike Rounds
Phone: (605) 224-1450
Out-of-state congressmen have websites people can go to to find the contact information for.
Choosing a side and being informed is the most important aspect to this issue. The common phrase, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” is correct, but having accessories no civilian should possess isn’t infringing on the right to bear arms, it’s protecting us from ourselves.
The only way action will happen is if together we commit to solving this problem.
