By Dwight Evans
Seven minutes.
That’s how long it took a Daily News reporter to purchase an AR-15 assault rifle in Philadelphia, showing just how easy it is for one to get a weapon designed for the purpose of killing people.
As one commenter online put it, “We live in a country where the only thing stopping someone from committing a mass shooting is whether or not they want to.”
Join me by signing the petition and call on Washington to pass universal background checks, ban assault weapons, enact restrictions on magazine capacity, and prohibit those on the no-fly list from purchasing firearms.
America is home to some 317 million people — and 357 million guns. Yet there are some who think more guns — and making unrestricted access to guns even easier — is the solution to the growing epidemic of gun violence that has plagued our communities for far too long.
That’s the wrong approach.
If there was commonsense in Washington, suspected terrorists who aren’t allowed to fly wouldn’t be allowed to buy guns. If elected leaders stood with 83 percent of gun owners — and nearly 90 percent of all Americans — they’d require universal background checks on all firearm purchases. If there was action instead of silence, we’d limit the capacity of ammunition magazines.
As President Obama said, the decision to do nothing is also a decision.
I’m not running for Congress to do nothing about the violence that has turned elementary schools, night clubs, holiday parties, college campuses, and movie theatres into war zones.
Add your name to the petition and let’s work together to take on the NRA and the extreme politicians who put the gun industry ahead of the lives and safety of the American people.
Thank you.