Tony Guadagnino is a marketing consultant. Located in New Jersey, his clients are based across the country, focusing on social media to build their presence on the internet. He studied creative writing in college and is currently working his first novel on the subject of bullying. He lives with his partner Mark.
Once again, America was faced with an ongoing controversial issue — GUN CONTROL! With the recent attack in Orlando (and I pray there hasn’t been more since writing this article), I am at a loss for words as to why no gun laws have changed in our country.
First and foremost, I want to say that I DO NOT want to take away everyone’s guns. Contrary to the rhetoric the NRA (and a “miserable” Republican nominee) consistently feed to Americans, nobody wants to take the guns away from the responsible gun owners. There are thousands of gun owners who know how to be responsible with a weapon. My Dad was one of them. Raising three sons, his kids knew he had guns; we knew where they were kept, and we also knew they were not toys – we weren’t allowed to touch them, to play with them … in fact, we didn’t even look at them. When we were older and showed a level of maturity, Dad had taken us to a firing range to learn how to responsibly handle a gun. People who are conscientious with a weapon should be allowed to keep their firearm. I absolutely have no problem stating that on record, and I do not want anyone to misunderstand my stance.
However … and here comes the soap box … what I do not comprehend is that after another mass shooting, 56 Republican senators continue to support the NRA and change nothing in regards to laws with firearms. This recent mass shooting in Orlando, in which 49 people were murdered, and 53 wounded, should have everyone PISSED OFF and yell out of their windows “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”
When Sen Chris Murphy (D, CT) spent 14 hours on the floor of the Senate to support a universal background check system to stop the wrong people from acquiring guns. One of which is a very responsible bill – if someone is on the “No Fly” list, then that person should not be able to buy a gun: NO FLY; NO BUY I know that most people use the 2nd Amendment as their basis for their rights. Again, nobody wants to take away the guns of responsible owners, but background checks should be done. (Note: 80% of gun owners agree that background checks are both necessary and important.)
Background checks are done at gun shops, but not with either internet or Gun Show purchases. Why not? Do people really believe a background check is unconstitutional? If someone has been investigated by the FBI as a “possible terrorist,” then why cannot we create a No Buy list? Why is getting a driver’s license harder than purchase a gun?
Allow me to make this comparison: before you get behind the wheel of a car, you have to (1) pass a written test; (2) practice for weeks before a driving test; (3) take a driving test with a professional. Nobody automatically gets a driving license at a certain age. Every person goes through a procedure to prove they know how to be responsible with a possible deadly weapon (the automobile) before you can use one. Plus, nobody can purchase an automobile without a license. Anyone caught driving with a license is put in jail. It’s legal to punish an unlicensed driver, so why is it illegal to expand background checks on guns?
And why are assault rifles available to the public for purchase? When the AR-15 assault rifle was invented, its purpose was solely for military (which was later labeled as M16). It was not invented for civilians; it was not created for hunting. When the Federal Assault Weapon Ban expired in Sept 2004 (President George W. Bush’s 1st term), these dangerous machine guns became available to the public.
The United States has become the country with the most mass shootings than any other country on the globe. Is that something we should be proud? Let’s reflect for a moment on the most recent mass shootings:
01/08/11 – Tucson, AZ = 6 people dead (US Rep Gabrielle Giffords was among the 13 injured)
07/20/12 – Aurora, CO = 12 dead (70 injured at Century 16 Movie Theatre)
12/14/12 – Newtown, CT = 20 children dead (6-7 years old at Sandy Hook); 11 days before Christmas
06/14/15 – Charleston, NC = 9 people died (Charleston Church Shooting)
12/02/15 – San Bernardino, CA = 14 people killed (22 injured)
04/12/16 – Orlando, FL = 49 died (53 injured at Pulse, a gay club)
I am ready to yell “Enough Is Enough.” Gun laws must be changed to stop this ridiculous bloodshed in America. The solution is not keeping Muslims out of America. (Research it and you’ll see that the shootings are NOT all Islamic attacks.)
It’s time for America to support more stringent Gun Laws!
It’s time for the NRA to stop owning the government.
(Note: the NRA has dispersed over $30 MILLION to the 56 Republicans Senators mentioned earlier.)
It’s time for America to work together in a bipartisan relationship.
Wow, “creative writing” sure did come in handy for this article I see. First and foremost, if law’s are going to solve our problem, how come the tons of laws we already have are not solving the problem? Second, only Law-abiding-citizens, go through the trouble of background checks, and training, and all the expense that is involved with obtaining and owning a firearm…criminals DON’T! If criminals obeyed the law…then…they wouldn’t be criminals. They will get guns however they can. From gangs who steal them from law-abiding-citizens, from criminal organizations, from drug cartel’s bringing them across our “Wallless” borders…etc… Go ahead, pull an “Australian Buy Back” on us, then ONLY the criminals will have guns. Then what? This country is all of the sudden so against God and guns. But what’s the first to things a person (who doesn’t have a gun by the way) do when a criminal with a gun is breaking into their house? Call someone who has a gun to come and help them…and pray they get there in time!
On some of your other so called “facts”. An AR 15 is not an M16. An AR 15 is not an assault weapon. It is a semi-automatic firearm, which means, if you bothered to research any of the stuff before you wrote this dribble, you have to pull the trigger for every round fired out of the barrel. An assault weapon has the capability of firing 3 round bursts with one pull of the trigger or full automatic, which means, empty the magazine with one pull of the trigger. Assault weapons are illegal in the US, if you didn’t know that, so that law isn’t working, because obviously, these criminals had them. No law-abiding-citizen can buy an assault (fully automatic) weapon, or parts to convert any gun into a fully automatic weapon. Not from a dealer, a gun show, a neighbor, or from the internet. I’m not saying that it’s not possible for someone to do that, but if they do then…they are criminals, and where do they get them from…other criminals. And what have we already determined? Criminals do not obey the law! So how are more laws against law-abiding-citizens going to stop the criminals? Maybe you should ask barrack how many illegal firearms came in with the million or so illegal aliens he so generously welcomes here with open arms. Maybe we should start looking at our judicial system? Maybe tougher sentences for criminals, maybe keep them in jail for longer the a few months for armed robbery? Too much to mention here, but start looking at the source, not the tool. Do you happen to know when the last war on mainland US soil was since the civil war? I heard that shortly after US soil was attacked and a couple of bombs were dropped, the Japanese were asked if they were planning on invading mainland US and in so many works the reply came back, ” Hell No!, they are the largest army in the world, no other country allows their citizens to own guns”!
And finally, I don’t know where you live, but I live worst state in the union, NY, and I’m having a hard time finding any law that says I have to have a license to buy a car? Maybe you can help me with that. I also don’t know anyone who has gone to “jail” just for driving without a license, pretty steep fine, yes, and if your a smartass to the cop, immediate tow to the impound lot, but usually just a ticket and if you can get someone with a license to drive it home in a reasonable amount of time, no impound.
I know misinformation is the Democratic way winning votes, but you as journalist should be unbiased and just write the facts. Next time, please do a little research on topics you know nothing about before subjecting unknowing people to such misinformation.
Thanks, have a great day,
D