To Reduce Gun Violence, America Needs Congressmen/Women with Political Courage

It is a shameful day in America when citizens allow the likes of the National Rifle Association and Gun Lobby take the lead in determining what laws will be enacted to reduce mass shooting and various other forms gun violence. President Barack Obama has stepped up to the plate again and again, showing tremendous determination to end the almost total control of NRA and Gun Lobby. He is demanding that Congress enact sensible legislation to push for tighter regulations on firearms dealers and other gun-control measures.

It is a known fact that most Americans support stricter Gun Control Laws. Guns need to be used by people who understand them properly and use the best equipment, such as progressive reloading presses. If a gun falls into the wrong hands of someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, the results can be disastrous. The American people must demand Congress to show their political will and courage to work with our president toward ending horrific gun violence in the USA. We, the American people cannot passively stand by and allow our elected officials to stick their collective heads in the sand and ignore the repeated loss of innocent lives cause by an unchecked gun culture.

Congressman/woman who refuses to take a stand against the genocidal murders of citizens of this nation must be removed from office. We will not longer allow members of the U.S. Congress take their marching orders from and hide under the skirts of the gun lobby and the NRA.

Gun violence in America is the result of a gun culture that allows universal access to unlimited quantities of all kinds of firearms and an unlimited amount of ammunition. If we categorically want to prevent mass killings and other violent gun activities, we must reduce America’s insane and inhumane love affair with all things GUN!

“A majority of Americans – including gun-owning Americans and National Rifle Association (NRA) members – back sensible gun regulation.”

1. Requiring criminal background checks on gun owners and gun shop employees. 82 percent of all gun owners and 74 percent of NRA gun owners support the former, and 80 percent and 79 percent, respectively, endorse the latter.

2. Prohibiting terrorist watch list members from acquiring guns. Support ranges from 80 percent among non-NRA gun-owners to 71 percent among NRA members.

3. Mandating that gun-owners tell the police when their gun is stolen. 71 percent non-NRA gun-owners support this measure, as do 64 percent of NRA members.

4. Concealed carry permits should only be restricted to individuals who have completed a safety training course and are 21 and older. Head to gunlawsuits.org/gun-laws/iowa/concealed-carry to learn more about the current concealed carry laws in Iowa. 84 percent of non-NRA and 74 percent of NRA member gun-owners support the safety training restriction, and the numbers are 74 percent and 63 percent for the age restriction.

5. Concealed carry permits shouldn’t be given to perpetrators of violent misdemeanors or individuals arrested for domestic violence. The NRA/non-NRA gun-owner split on these issues is 81 percent and 75 percent in favor of the violent misdemeanors provision and 78 percent/68 percent in favor of the domestic violence restriction.

There are many factors that contribute to gun violence in America besides the fact we are the most gun loving country in the world. Case in point; one primary culprit that contributes to high numbers of murders in America is violent video games. It is no secret that the American Psychological Association has studies that linked violent videos and gun crimes. One study suggests that “young adults who play violent games become desensitized to random murders and are more prone to aggressive behavior.

If the military use virtual reality computer simulation videos to prepare soldiers for real war, common sense will lead one to believe that young adults who play hours after hours of violent video games will become insensitive and more prone to aggressive behavior that makes it easier to pull a trigger.

My question is, why would any intelligence society produce products such as violent video games that are known to decrease social interactions, decreased sensitivity to violence and increased malicious aggressive behavior? Additionally, many of America’s mass killers have been diagnosed as mentally ill.

Through stronger gun regulations and stricter state-level background checks such as this Minnesota background check, as well as nationally, we would be able to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill people. However, it is completely a false premise to allow the likes of Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association to convince the nation that the mentally ill people solely the blame for gun violence in America. What LePierre said is a total lie, and he knows it.

We must also confiscate firearms from people who have attempted suicide and those that have made specific threats of violence against any person. It is a must that we immediately put in place a system that allows low-enforcement to track the movement of military style weapons.

We could vastly accelerate the reduction in gun violence by implementing “A Real-Time” GPS-“Gun Tracking System“. Exemptions will be given to Armed Forces (military) and Public Safety personnel. Real-time GPS technology has already been transferred from military to civilian use.

President Obama and Vice-President Biden have already taken the lead in establishing stronger gun control laws and regulations. Therefore, is the time for our U.S. House members and Senators to find the motivation to order the development/design of firearms that house “real-time” GPS systems that can track the movement of powerful, rapid fire weapons.

Following the mass killings in America, advocates have called on Congress to vote for banning assault weapons and high capacity clips, closing terrorism loopholes, and requiring background checks for all gun sales. Congress has refused to listen to the public’s demands; hence, we the people must stand up and fill the gap and let our votes speak for us in future elections.