MORE ACTION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

Throughout the country local and state politicians seem to be responding to growing public frustration over the slaughter on our school grounds and they are taking action. For example, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin have passed laws to remove firearms from criminals’ hands. In California, after the shooting at Isla Vista, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a measure that allows authorities or family members to more easily get restraining orders against people who pose a significant threat.

Prior to the Sandy Hook tragedy only two states, California and Rhode Island, had laws requiring background checks on gun sales. Since then, the number has risen to seven and now includes in addition to California and Rhode Island, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, New York, and Washington. And, since the horror at Sandy Hook, 37 states have passed a total of 99 laws strengthening gun regulations.

In August 2015, Massachusetts Governor Duval Patrick signed into law a gun-safety bill granting police chiefs the authority to prevent certain individuals from getting firearms licenses.

In Sunny Vale, California voters approved a measure to design to discourage straw gun purchases, where one person buys a gun for someone else.

There is a growing chorus of voices to stop the gun-violence madness, but Congress has turned a deaf ear; the gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association have bought too many members—local action is the key.  (To be continued)

SENSIBLE GUN LAWS: THINK LOCAL AND STATE

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            It is no secret our elected officials in Washington are so dysfunctional that very little gets done. Even relatively mundane bills are hard to pass.

            At the heart of the problem is the fact that we are dealing with unscrupulous people whose sole goal is to make money no matter how many people are killed along the way. They put their careers and getting elected above all else. They are open to the highest bidder. For them, the ends justify the means.

FORGET ABOUT CONGRESS

            It is clear solutions to ending carnage will have to be found some place other than in the halls of Congress.  We are not going to change policies toward guns in the U.S. Congress; Capital Hill is too corrupted by lobbyists, the NRA, and gun manufactures, all of whom share the goal of selling as many guns as possible—no matter what the resulting cost in human lives.

            We are going to have to look at local and state governments to make progress in curbing gun violence. And, here there is some good news. We are also going to have a more sophisticated approach to curbing gun violence. The solution cannot be one size fits all. Gun laws need to reflect the needs of various communities. For starters, I believe gun policies need to be different in rural areas from those in metropolitan areas. That fact is also another reason why a solution to the carnage cannot be found at the federal level.

            For example, I live in Kilmarnock, a small town in rural Virginia, where almost everybody owns a gun and hunting is a way of life. The town council, in March 2016, unanimously passed an amended ordinance making the discharge of a gun, rifle, pistol or other firearm a Class 1 misdemeanor. The town council’s actions show that we can work together to make our communities safer by trying to prevent the reckless use of firearms. The amended ordinance also demonstrates that laws can be passed that in no way undercut the Second Amendment. The town’s action was a small, but significant, first step.  TO BE CONTINUED