Gun control is not a cultural battle

[billh58]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/13/opinion/webster-newtown-shooting/index.html

While the vast majority of youth murdered in the U.S. are gunned down in the street, school shootings that are rare in other countries occur far too frequently in America.

The U.S. does not have unusually high rates of crime, violent behavior or mental illness compared with other high-income countries; but our rate of homicide with firearms is nearly 20 times higher. Lax gun laws that allow dangerous people easy access to guns plays an important role in this disparity.

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However, 15 states plus the District of Columbia, accounting for roughly 44% of the U.S. population, strengthened their gun laws in 2013. Eight of these states, including Colorado, Delaware and Illinois, made fairly substantial changes by enacting background-check requirements for all handgun sales. Maryland adopted a licensing system for handgun purchasers and stronger regulation of gun dealers. California, Connecticut and Maryland expanded firearm prohibitions for high-risk individuals

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But widespread gun trafficking from states with weak gun laws to states with stronger laws underscores the need for better federal laws. Congress will likely act only when more gun owners who support policies to keep guns from dangerous people become engaged on the issue.

The right-wing gun lobby, and its supporters, have repeated the lie that "Democrats are coming for your guns" long enough and loud enough that the facts are being buried by a faux "cultural battle" (which doesn't exist except in the minds of Second Amendment extremists). To quote from the article: "When you hear something enough times, you begin to think it's true. And that's exactly the intent of the NRA and other groups."

Support a gun control organization of your choice today in any way that you can. Our children's futures depend on your actions to put an end to the madness of the American gun culture and its right-wing promoters-for-profit.