By Ruben Diaz Jr.

Bronx BP: Stop the gun madness

Posted

Enough is enough.

Sandy Hook. Aurora. San Bernadino. And now Orlando.

How many more lives have to be taken from our friends, families and loved ones before we act to prevent the next mass murder such as what we saw in Orlando?

Let’s call the tragedy in Orlando for what it is: an evil, diabolical, wicked act of terror facilitated by the easy access to powerful weaponry, such as the Sig Sauer MCX used in the Orlando massacre and the very similar AR-15. These are weapons built to be used on the battlefield, by our well-trained servicemen and women who protect our nation. It was never meant to be used in our streets by those who wish us harm, and certainly not to be used in a crowded nightclub where people were just looking to have a good time celebrating who they are.

Congress needs to act. Those elected officials in the legislative branch beholden to the National Rifle Association and the gun industry must understand that your prayers and your condolences will no longer suffice. Prayers cannot stop bullets. Condolences are shared when too little has been done and when it is too late to prevent the next massacre.

The evidence is very clear: strong gun laws save lives.

According to research by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, states with higher gun ownership and weak gun laws have the highest rates of gun death. The five states with the highest gun death rates – Alaska, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Wyoming – also have high gun ownership and weaker gun laws.

Is that coincidence?

On the flip side, the five states with the lowest gun death rates – Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and our own great state of New York – are states with low gun ownership and strong gun laws.

This clear statistical pattern cannot be ignored. It refutes the argument made so often by opponents of gun control that more access to guns makes us safer from gun violence.

Without comprehensive national gun laws, assault weapons from states with lax gun laws such as Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia flood into our streets, making it much more difficult for our police department to keep our borough and city residents safe. More than two thirds of guns connected to crimes in New York and New Jersey were brought in from other states, mostly from the South.

This is unacceptable.

After Sandy Hook, we said no more. We said we would act to prevent making such powerful weapons accessible to those who should not be handling such an arsenal. Yet Congress failed to act.

We were forced to confront this issue yet again after the tragedy in San Bernardino. Yet again, Congress failed to act.

We witnessed more people die in Aurora and now Orlando. Is Congress going to bury their heads in the sand and do nothing yet again?

It is time for Congress to pass comprehensive gun control, including a ban on assault rifles for civilians. If they don’t act after the deadliest mass shooting in America, they will be complicit when the next shooting occurs.

We must stand together, united, ready to say to anyone who wants to try and use this incident to divide us, especially the National Rifle Association, that they not only are dead wrong, but we will not let them prevent us from finding common-sense solutions.

We are all one nation. We are all human beings. We are all children of God. The madness needs to stop.

Enough is enough. Congress needs to act. 

We will accept no less.

Ruben Diaz Jr. is the Bronx borough president. Points of view is a column open to all.

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