As the events of a community college shooting were still unfolding Thursday in Roseburg, Oregon, President Barack Obama called upon Congress and the American people to strengthen gun laws.
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The gunman’s father said the only word to describe his emotions following the shootings is shock.
“We need to do something, we need to act”. Rarely do we have the opportunity to create change that will save thousands of American lives.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin once posted a conspiracy video about the Sandy Hook massacre on his Facebook page that claimed there was more than one shooter in Newtown and that grieving parents were just acting.
Obama also knows people who want guns to commit crimes will get them, no matter what.
A hunter and fisherman, Hanlin’s views on gun ownership are similar to those of many other residents in the state, which is sparsely populated and guarantees the right to bear arms. Switzer is “a private school for students with learning disabilities, emotional issues and other special-education needs”, according to The New York Times. And she’s with us now from her home in Portland, Ore. Amelia, thanks so much for speaking with us.
LILY RAFF MCCAULOU: Thanks for having me. The president was asked, do you have a responsibility to protect them or defend them? You would think the fact tens of thousands of Americans are dying on USA soil each year as a result of firearms would especially trouble Rep. McCaul, who is the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.
RAFF MCCAULOU: I did. “There are so many people who have been impacted by gun violence in our entire country”. But we must begin to have an open and honest discussion in this country about what we can do as a people to reduce the number of victims of gun violence – over 30,000 in 2013.
All of which explains why we won’t let Congress pass those gun laws the president wants. And I’m just wondering where you think the center of gravity is.
Mass shootings occur nearly once a day in the USA, yet protecting gun rights seems to concern Americans more than increasing controls on guns. “We still don’t know how he got the weapons, if there was a breakdown in the current regulations, whether this was an Oregon situation”, Lynch said. But I’m not sure that’s even true, is it?
Unfortunately, the gun violence crisis in our country has become so dire that many feel powerless to solve it, and even those with the power to make a difference in Washington refuse to address it. This is nothing short of shameful.
And while tighter restrictions on gun sales sound like a good idea, they might not prevent a determined shooter from finding weapons a few way.
We can no longer accept the ridiculous response that gun legislation means taking the guns out of the hands of responsible gun owners.
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MARTIN: Lily Raff McCaulou is a hunter, a gun owner and a writer.
