“The other piece of legislation is the crime bill. As of today, it no longer exists. I’m throwing it out. I’m throwing it out and writing a law that makes sense. You cannot address crime prevention without getting rid of assault weapons and handguns. I consider them a threat to national security, and I will go door to door if I have to, but I’m gonna convince Americans that I’m right, and I’m gonna get the guns.” ~Andrew Sheperd

Buffalo. Uvalde. Tulsa. Three mass shootings since May 14. Three mass shootings in less than three weeks. Thirty-one people have been murdered in the last nineteen days. All of them were victims of assault weapons.

The shooter in Tulsa purchased his weapon and three hours later walked into a hospital where he shot four people. THREE HOURS!!! How can we continue to let that occur? Only in America does this happen. There has to be a better way. There has to be a more sensible way.

The quote at the top is from the movie “The American President.” It’s a great soundbite, but it’s not realistic in this country in 2022. It’s also not what we non-gun owners really want, even though extremists on the other side will constantly tell you differently. We don’t want to take away your guns. We don’t want to deprive you of your second amendment rights. We only want reasonable laws for purchasing a firearm.

Is it too much to ask to have a background check for anyone who wants to purchase a gun? If you believe that mental health issues are the problem for these shootings, a good background check would keep the guns out of the hands of troubled individuals that shouldn’t have them.

Is it too much to have a waiting period between the time of purchase and the time you take possession of the gun? A three-day waiting period might have given the assailant in Tulsa enough time to reconsider his actions.

Is it too much to raise the age for being able to purchase a gun to twenty-one years old? Eighteen is too young to own a gun. There are kids….yes, kids…that age still in high school. Do you really want a high school student to be able to buy a gun?

Is it too much to reinstate the ban on assault weapons? The one constant in almost all of these mass shootings is that they’re done with an assault weapon. Does anyone really need one of these weapons?

The four simple, realistic, reasonable rules for purchasing a gun that doesn’t take away anyone’s rights. Four simple, realistic, reasonable rules that keep may keep people safe. Will they stop mass shootings? Probably not; someone who wants to do this will find a way. Will it make it harder for that person? Absolutely! It’s certainly better than doing nothing. Doing nothing led to what happened in Buffalo, Uvalde and Tulsa. Doing nothing has shown that we’ll be sadly mourning more victims sooner than later.

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