Enough is enough – we can stop mass shootings. But NRA-bought Republicans like Jeff Duncan want to make the problem worse.
Information about the horrific shooting in Las Vegas is still trickling out, but here’s what we know now: over 50 people are dead and hundreds are injured after a gunman fired upon an open-air concert from the 32nd floor of an adjacent hotel.
This is the deadliest mass shooting in American history. This is the 273rd mass shooting in America in 2017 (out of 275 days).
Gun violence like this – in its frequency and its death toll – is a uniquely American problem.
We know there are policies that can limit or entirely prevent these incidents.
Yet not only do policymakers refuse to address the problem – NRA-bought Republicans actively work to make the problem worse.
Case in point: Congressman Jeff Duncan. Duncan is pushing Item #1 on the NRA’s wish list: the SHARE Act. This bill would make it easier to get silencers – and thus make it easier for them to fall into the wrong hands.
Law enforcement organizations are against Duncan’s move, and for good reason. By muffling the sound of gunfire, silencers make a shooter’s location more difficult to determine – a difference that can mean life or death for people fleeing and law enforcement responding to a shooting.
For responsible gun owners looking to protect their hearing, in lieu of silencers, we strongly recommend ear plugs. Ear plugs are cheap, widely available, and cannot be used as an accessory to mass murder.
Congressman Duncan’s response to the gun violence epidemic is callous and perverse – and he’s not alone. Republicans have used their control of statehouses to loosen existing gun controls and block any new legislation.
South Carolina Republicans are no exception: over 2 years after the Mother Emanuel shooting, the so-called “Charleston Loophole” remains.
Our nation must come together to have a real conversation on gun violence. This conversation must include lawmakers of both parties, working together in good faith. And that requires Republicans to break with the NRA and speak up on this critical issue.
The Palmetto Insider hopes the few Republicans who have already spoken up will follow their words with actions.
Dum spiro spero.