Had enough gun violence?

We can't let the NRA block sensible gun-control laws.

from the February 20, 2008 edition

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By putting guns into the hands of terrorists, criminals, and the mentally ill, the policies the NRA helped create a society where defense by guns becomes mandatory. Meanwhile, the bank accounts of the NRA leaders and lobbyists are enriched and congressional coffers are replenished. Gun manufacturers reinforce this cycle by investing in the NRA.

According to Federal Elections Commission Reports the NRA has spent more than $22 million on congressional candidates in order to support its agenda during the past four election cycles. In 2004, the NRA spent nearly $4 million to reelect George W. Bush.

Immunity from lawsuits and freedom from consumer protection regulations and manufacturing standards are just a few of the benefits delivered by the NRA and provided by a complicit president and Congress.

Massachusetts stands out as an example of a state that has successful gun violence prevention legislation. Along with 17 other states, it has enacted background checks for all gun sales. Only Hawaii has a firearms fatality rate lower than that of Massachusetts. Hawaii is fortunate; bordered by water, it is less accessible to gun traffickers than Massachusetts, where more than 60 percent of guns traced to crime come from out of state. Bay State neighbors New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine are three of the top four crime-gun source states for Massachusetts, where guns are easily purchased by prohibited buyers without a background check or an ID.

Most law-abiding citizens like me buy guns from federally licensed dealers required to perform background checks. Incredibly, federal law allows criminals and terrorists who can't pass background checks to easily buy guns from private individuals in 32 states without detection.

The bloodshed in our communities and schools (there were multiple campus shootings last week!) is largely preventable. Of course, not every law is going to stop violence completely, but shouldn't we help prevent the tragedies we can by weeding out the criminals? It is time for reasonable people – the majority of Americans who agree with me – to insist that Congress enact sensible and consistent federal laws that require criminal background checks for all gun sales in the US.

• John E. Rosenthal is cofounder of Stop Handgun Violence, the American Hunters and Shooters Association, and Common Sense About Kids and Guns.

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