Franklin Matters: Franklin, TV: Uvalde, TX! - A new name to add to the list.

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Franklin, TV: Uvalde, TX! - A new name to add to the list.

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 05/29/2022

For anyone interested in The List, it looks like this.

Mass shootings happen frequently. The List from just the past decade includes supermarkets in Buffalo and in Boulder, CO.; a rail yard in San Jose, CA.; a birthday party in Colorado Springs; a convenience store in Springfield, MO.; a synagogue in Pittsburgh; churches in Sutherland Springs, TX, and in Charleston, SC; a Walmart in El Paso; a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis; a music festival in Las Vegas; massage parlors in Atlanta; a Waffle House in Nashville; a gay nightclub in Orlando; and a movie theater in Aurora, CO.

Even school shootings happen often enough that we know some of the names: Sandy Hook Elementary School, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Oxford High School, Santa Fe High School, Columbine High School. Robb Elementary School in Uvalde has joined this horrific list.

I note the locus of these events. The frequency of extreme gun violence is proximal to the gun culture and permissive laws of a given state. There’s a message here. Massachusetts has stronger gun regulations. However, responsible citizens can still reasonably obtain and use guns. The 2nd amendment is working in MA. Perfectly? No. But, we do have a balance of rights and responsibility.

The U.S. population in 1970, 200Million. Today, we are 330 million.

U.S. vehicular death in 1970, 53,000. Today, it’s around 36,000.

More people, but fewer deaths. A 60% reduction through reasonable regulation. The point? 2nd amendment rights can continue – through reasonable regulation.

Altogether, guns killed about 45,000 Americans last year. Can we ever get to zero? No. But, we can make progress. Many 2A defenders say, “ It’s ‘mental health’ issue.” But, they don’t support comprehensive background checks or red flag regulations that address that very issue. It’s time for reason. It’s time for Congress to act.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” – The Sword of Damocles Guns can give us power, but we need to exercise responsibility.

Congress has the ultimate power – and the great responsibility.

It’s time, lest that sword fall upon Washington come the next election.

It’s time.