Tons of Guns

A killing spree is once again ravaging America. On February 24, an estranged husband walked into a court in Tyler, Texas, and killed his ex-wife and a bystander with an AK-47 rifle, wounding his son and three others. On February 28, a Chicago judge returned home to find her husband and mother shot dead. In early March, a defendant in an Atlanta courtroom fatally shot a judge, a court reporter, a deputy and later, a federal agent. A day later, Terry Ratzmann began spraying bullets in a church service in Wisconsin, killing eight people, including the pastor. That same weekend, in Philadelphia, ten people died in homicidal shootings, among them three children. Just yesterday, a day of violence in Northern Minnesota claimed ten more lives, including eight in a horrific high school shooting.

In response to this savage surge in violent crime, at least a few states are logically trying to crack down on gun violence, the Los Angles Times reported on Monday. Thirteen states are considering banning assault weapons or strengthening an existing ban. Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Washington may follow California's lead and outlaw .50 caliber rifles. Arizona, Illinois, Iowa and Washington favor closing the ridiculous "gun show loophole" allowing gun buyers to escape background checks.

But the common-sense legislation will likely be offset by the NRA's intense counter-lobbying, which is preposterously arguing that the recent spate of violence actually makes it more important to weaken the few gun control protections that currently exist. Eight red states that earned D grades or lower from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for their meager gun safety laws are considering making it easier for citizens to carry concealed handguns. Lawmakers in Tennessee want handguns in schools, day-care centers and bars; Texas and Illinois believe prosecutors and judges should be armed. Elected officials in the "Land of Lincoln" are weighing at least a dozen bills backed by the NRA.

In Philadelphia, where 67 gun-related homicides have occurred this year, state law prevents the city from enacting tougher gun control measures. Philly mayor John Street wants a moratorium on all gun permits. But the GOP-controlled legislator won't budge and Democratic Governor Ed Rendell refuses to address the issue.

This appeasement of the gun lobby occurs at a time when the number of people murdered by firearms has increased 14 percent between 1999 and 2003. After declining for seven consecutive years in the 90s, the total number of gun-related fatalities has also risen.

The recklessness of Congress and the Bush Administration has been as bad or worse than many states' actions. Bush's 2005 budget cuts could force 88,000 police officers off the streets. After failing to renew the popular assault weapons ban, Congress is once again trying to immunize gun manufactures from civil liability for letting weapons fall in the hands of gun traffickers, snipers and terrorists. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office found that forty-seven suspects on an FBI terrorist watch list legally purchased firearms in the United States last year.

So next time you hear Bush ask if you feel safer, think about his Administration's position on guns before answering.

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