by David Safier
Gabby Giffords has an op ed in today's Aurora Sentinel — Aurora and I know what gun background checks are really about. The subhead is, "I reject the idea that taking action to reduce gun violence requires us to compromise on our liberties as Americans." Aurora, Colorado, was the site of the mass shooting in a movie theater on July 20,2012.
Some excerpts:
[I]t is true that violence in our society and our country is a complicated problem – no one piece of legislation will bring an end to it. But when I look at the pictures of those lost in Aurora, in Tucson, in Newtown – and at the grieving communities and families they leave behind – I know that we must act now to reduce gun violence.
[snip]
It’s the people who don’t get a background check we should worry about. Right now, criminals and the mentally ill have access, no questions asked, to the 6.6 million guns sold every year without a background check. Why? Because we have a loophole in our laws that requires a background check if you buy at the gun store, but not if you buy at the gun show or on the internet.
Proposed background checks legislation creates a tool, not an obstacle, for gun owners to responsibly exercise their rights.
[snip]
I know what it’s like to endure unimaginable tragedy. It is unacceptable to me not to do everything that I can to prevent other communities from going through what my community and your community in Aurora have been through. That’s why I’m asking Congress to pass comprehensive background checks. Please join me and have your voice be heard, too. Together, we can protect our proud tradition of gun ownership and independence, and keep our families safe, too.
(h/t to Jim Woodbrey for sending the link)