Thoughts and prayers. Deepest condolences and sincerest sympathies. Wringing of hands over what to do.
I’m sick of it all. And I’m sickened by such cowardly and inadequate words.
Better mental health services would not have prevented the carnage in Las Vegas. Criminal background checks wouldn’t have prevented the attack, either. More concertgoers carrying weapons wouldn’t have made a jot of difference.
But making military-style assault weapons unavailable to ordinary citizens would certainly have lessened the extent of this massacre and decreased the odds for others.
This is not about the Second Amendment. To simply label the tragedy in Las Vegas as “evil” removes any responsibility for corrective action. This is about the failure of Congress to pass common-sense legislation that would, uncontrovertibly, save lives.
Congress failed to act when a classroom of first graders were murdered. Mass shootings are simply part of the American way of life. If Congress refuses to change the law, we must accept that tragic yet preventable fact.
But never forget that we can take action against gun violence by making it more difficult to stockpile killing machines. We simply have chosen not to do so.
Joanne Slotnik, Salt Lake City