DN editorial: Mass shootings leave America in deep distress
IN THIS image-driven world of ours, it's harder and harder to find any image that has the power to arrest the viewer. But this one - an upside-down American flag, signaling a nation in distress - had that impact on us when we first saw it on Facebook, and we reproduce it here in the hopes that has the same effect on others.
IN THIS image-driven world of ours, it's harder and harder to find any image that has the power to arrest the viewer. But this one - an upside-down American flag, signaling a nation in distress - had that impact on us when we first saw it on Facebook, and we reproduce it here in the hopes that has the same effect on others.
Because we are a nation in deep distress.
In 2012, Newtown ushered in a new age of public grief. At the time, we thought the shooting of schoolchildren was an extraordinary, once-in-an-era event that might finally put a screeching halt to our all-you-can-shoot gun culture and lead to sane laws. Surely, if the murder of babies didn't stop us from accepting a perverted view of the Second Amendment, nothing would.
But since Newtown, 19 more mass shootings have occurred, including Sunday's Orlando massacre of 49 people. That's according to research by Mother Jones, which defines mass shootings as seemingly indiscriminate rampages in public places resulting in four or more victims killed. This doesn't include shootings involving conventional crimes such as armed robbery or gang violence. Also since then, Congress has done nothing. Here's what it must do:
1. Expand background checks. Originally co- sponsored by Pennsylvania's own Sen. Pat Toomey in 2013 in a promising non-partisan move, the measure failed, and failed again following last year's mass shooting in San Bernadino, Calif. Expanded checks would close the "gun-show" loophole that allows private sales of guns without background checks.
2. Ban gun sales to those on terror lists. Those on a "no-fly" list who have been identified as potential terrorists should be prohibited from buying a gun. This is a no-brainer. Once again, Congress failed to pass this no-brainer, with some complaining that innocent people end up on the no-fly list by mistake and shouldn't be victimized. Really? But we're OK with innocent people losing their lives?
3. Ban assault weapons. Between 1994 and 2004, when the (admittedly flawed) assault weapons ban expired, 106 people died in mass shootings. In the 10 years following the expiration of the ban, 302 people were killed in mass shootings. Not every death was due to an assault weapon, but semi-automatic weapons designed for the military - like the SIG Sauer used by the Orlando shooter and the popular AR-15 - allow killers to mow down far more people in far less time. Why do we allow this?
4. Ban high-capacity magazines. Magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and allow shooters to rack up the carnage without having to pause to reload - like the Orlando shooter, whose gun had a 30-round magazine- is also a no-brainer. Eight states have imposed such bans. Congress has failed to.
The code governing display of the United States flag says, "The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."
We have reached that point.
