With the tragedy at Michigan State, Americans have witnessed 67 mass shootings in the first 43 days of 2023. That’s three mass shootings every two days. At that rate we can look forward to 260 mass shootings in calendar year 2023.
How long will we as a nation be shackled by the gun lobby — and let’s be honest, the Republican Party in Congress? Poll after poll shows that 90 percent of Americans agree they want to see a commonsense measure requiring a universal background check. As paltry as that seems, when do we get it?
How long before someone finally speaks truth to power and cites the entire text of the Second Amendment:
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be Infringed.” And a “well-regulated Militia” could be defined as the police or National Guard.
The language does not say “any and every kind of arms.” James Madison, George Mason, George Washington and the other founders of the Constitution envisioned arms in the context of their times: a single shot musket, a single shot pistol and maybe a pitchfork here and there. Would they favor limitless, uncontrollable numbers of assault rifles?
With betting now legal almost everywhere, I put my money squarely on Madison, Mason and Washington all saying: “End this insanity. Now.”
Mike Perricone, Riverside
