Exactly five years ago today I was writing for an online newspaper. I followed one story, minute by minute, and reported what we later discovered to be one of our nation’s greatest tragedies. I was focused on accurate reporting, but deep inside I found it difficult to believe that this had actually happened.

A lone gunman had entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The aftermath revealed that he had slaughtered 20 small children and six educators before taking his own life. It was later discovered that before he began his assault, he shot and killed his own mother.

To this day, the thought that even a mentally ill young man could willfully murder little boys and girls is unimaginable. Our nation cried as we shared the grief of parents who had no reason to fear for the safety of their children while they were in a school. Initially we asked ‘why,’ but a deep sadness became the only emotion shared by a compassionate nation; the ‘why’ became less important than the reality.

Months after the tragedy, many of the parents decided to fight back. The shooter, Adam Lanza, had used an assault rifle to murder 26 people in a matter of minutes. They demanded sensible gun regulations to save other Americans from suffering the loss of those they love. Their suggestions seemed reasonable.

They claimed that military assault rifles should be banned; they serve no purpose other than killing human beings. Along with them, high-output magazines would no longer be available to most Americans. Comprehensive background checks should be applied to all gun purchases. Americans who were mentally challenged or those who were on Homeland Security’s ‘no-fly’ list must not be allowed to buy any weapon of mass destruction.

What happened next was not a surprise to me or any other individual who closely follows the workings of our government in Washington.

One of the Republican Party’s owners, the NRA gun lobby, ordered GOP politicians to ignore the demands of the families who lost their small children in Newtown. They had no legitimate reasons. Their only defense was a fallacious claim that such actions would violate the second amendment.

The second amendment has been used hundreds of times to protect the profits of gun manufacturers and gun sellers. The NRA is wrong, and is the reason why America is the only nation in the world which experiences more mass shootings each year than days on the calendar.

But the NRA and your hypocritical Republican Party did not stop there. They have passed rules which allow the mentally ill and men and women on the ‘no-fly’ list to legally purchase any weapon of mass destruction, including assault rifle.

Until 1976 the NRA was a gun safety organization. Today safety is no longer a concern. Profit before people is their only reason for existence.

Don’t let these hypocrites ignore Sandy Hook, a theater in Aurora Colorado, or a country music festival in Las Vegas. Never forget the fact that more than 200 small children are killed or kill others each year with the use of a gun which was unsecured in a home. These tragedies do not happen in any other nation in the world.

Sadly, all of these heartbreaking events could have been prevented; but Republicans and the NRA don’t care. Their only god is money.

Please re-post; thank you.

Op-ed by James Turnage

SOURCE

Image courtesy of DonkeyHotey

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