Vote Gun Sense

Thank you, Film Society of Summit, for hosting a 3-part film series on gun violence awareness and prevention. No longer a third rail issue in the election or in American culture, we frequently hear about “gun sense” - the desperate need for common sense gun regulations. Our legislators can do much more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and make this country safer, but they are not. That must change by our insistence and our votes.

The three films highlight the stories of survivors and culprits of the horrendous mass shootings and preventable crimes we have continuously suffered through as a nation. They also dissect the systematic failures of Congress to prevent this violence. “Making a Killing” details the fiery mission of the National Rifle Association to block any legislative action that could curtail their profits from gun sales including background checks, suicide and gun violence research, and closing enormous loopholes that allow anyone to sell guns privately, at gun shows, or online. They insist safety regulations of any kind infringe upon the Second Amendment.

As stated in the first film, “Under the Gun,” a firearm has NO federal safety regulations but a teddy bear has several (http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/gunbro.pdf). As thematically addressed in the film “91%,” 91 Americans a day die by guns, and 91% of Americans believe in universal background checks, but Congress will not vote in favor of them. This was painfully witnessed in the Senate after the largest mass shooting in US history at Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June 2016. See how the they voted here: http://everytown.org/senate-vote-orlando/.

What we are left with, then is something like the Wild West where we do not check who buys a gun, and do not regulate how guns are stored or used - resulting in catastrophic numbers of unintentional shootings and suicides (http://everytownresearch.org/notanaccident/), and live in a State where our Governor aims to expunge mental health records and veto laws that would protect domestic violence victims from guns.

Know who your choices for House of Representatives on Election Day, and find out your incumbent official’s position on gun sense by visiting votesmart.org and compare to their opponent’s stated platform on their website. Get to the polls on November 8th, and please vote for gun sense.