To The Reader’s Forum:

According to the national organization “Gun Violence Archive” there have been at least 2,182 mass shootings in America since 2013, or at least roughly .65 per day. Others may disagree whether that number constitutes “a fact of life these days”, but I feel that a mass shooting that averages at least every other day meets that definition. Meaningful gun control, in my opinion, would include actions that attempt to prevent mass shootings and other gun violence from occurring.

A recent letter pointed out that New York state has made some progress on gun issues, which I applaud, but the letter failed to address the ease of access to a semi-automatic military-style rifle by a person in NY State not old enough to buy a handgun. The mass shooting deaths that occurred in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, (not to mention many other locations) were inflicted by military-style weapons, the only purpose of which is to kill people. Elimination of military-style weapons in the hands of the public is one “meaningful” action of gun control I support. Another is elimination of “high capacity” ammunition magazines. I oppose the existence of “ghost guns”. I favor longer waiting periods, too. However, the issue of gun violence is national, requiring federal action, and not limited to New York. For those who are unaware, there was a nationwide ban on certain assault-style weapons from 1994-2004, which was not renewed by a Republican-led Congress. (By the way, suicides, drug overdoses and car accidents don’t cause “mass shootings”.)

In recent years many Republican-led states have expanded “gun rights”, including enacting “open carry” laws, and the Supreme Court is expected to overturn a NY licensing requirement for “open-carry” situations. In my opinion, those laws are being enacted because gun access has become more prevalent and less controlled. In 2005, a Republican-led Congress also passed legislation making it harder to sue only gun manufacturers. I feel “meaningful gun control” has been on the decline in America.

No one is required to sell guns, carry guns or use guns – it’s a choice. The sale/distribution of guns by dealers and individuals leads to all forms of gun violence – it’s a fact. If events such as in Buffalo and Uvalde don’t make you sick and want to control gun access, then I wonder who will be next. It’s clearly just a matter of time.

Jamestown