Congress Refuses to Honor Souls Lost to Gun Violence

Congress’s recent attempt to bandage the gaping wound gun violence leaves in American cities failed to honor the souls lost to gunfire. They did not pass a significant gun reform bill. Even though the Senators’ legislation was praised, it fell short of expectations. There is no reason for atta boys when Congress lacks the common-sense changes that should be obvious:

Ban AR-15s, AK-47s, and high-capacity magazines. Raise the age requirements to purchase any gun. Demand proper training, and certification. Make gun ownership akin to the responsibilities of owning a car — liability insurance, equipment compliance tests, and license updates.

United States citizens deserve active compassion and respect from their elected representatives — not platitudes and soundbites. If Republican and Democrat Congresspersons cannot summon the emotion to ban military-grade weapons, perhaps a dose of reality will move them to pass significant gun reform legislation.

Fact: DNA was necessary to identify the children killed in Uvalde, Texas, because the AR-15 used in the massacre was designed to rip “apart adult human bodies in the most extreme manner,” according to The Intercept. The U.S. military research concludes that an AR-15 excels at “blowing people apart.”

A news story published in 2016 posted one of the surveys conducted during the Vietnam conflict. “Viet Cong fighters hit with the [AR-15] were frequently decapitated and dismembered, many looking as though they had ‘exploded.'”

Imagine the impact this weapon of war made on the tiny delicate limbs and organs of young children.

One little girl was identified by her distinctive shoes, green high-top Converse sneakers with a small heart drawn on the right shoe’s toe, as described by Matthew McConaughey during his emotional White House Briefing on June 7, 2022. McConaughey shared several stories of the children whose lives were cut short by an 18-year-old with an AR-15.

Courtesy of Dorothee Quennesson (Pixabay CC0)

He also talked about meeting a mortuary cosmetologist. Her task is to make victims presentable for an open-casket viewing.

McConaughey told Congress that she said the children, 9 and 10 years old, required “much more than makeup to be presentable, the needed extensive restoration. Why? Due to the exceptionally large exit wounds of an AR-15 rifle. Most of the [bodies were] so mutilated that only a DNA or green Converse [sneakers] could identify [them].”

Voters must call upon their local, state, and federal representatives and insist they pass bills to end the daily gun violence. When going to the polls, vote for candidates who support a permanent end to the filibuster, establish term limits for judges — especially Supreme Court Justices — and a woman’s right to medical privacy. Do not cast a ballot for someone not willing to stand toe-to-toe against NRA-supported politicians and fight against the tyranny of gun violence in America.

As long as the NRA and other gun lobbyists continue to put billions of dollars into the hands of politicians, there will never be intelligence-based gun reform legislation passed. Americans must not forget who is behind promoting the false interpretation of the Second Amendment.

Now is not the time to rest in the struggle against gun violence. When shootings become part of history and families no longer have to bury their loved ones, then the work will be over. Until then, do not back down. Remember the famous words of the legendary Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Opinion by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

NPR: Biden signs gun safety bill into law; by Don Clyde and Shauneen Miranda
The New York Times: The Supreme Court Puts Gun Rights Above the Human Life; by The Editorial Board
The Intercept: AR-15s Were Made to Explode Human Bodies. In Uvalde, the Bodies Belonged to Children. By Murtaza Hussain
Gawker: The AR-15 Was Built for Slaughter in War Zones; by Sam Biddle
Texas Hill Country News: AR-15 Vs. AK-47: Which is the Best Rifle for the Apocalypse?

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Seth Werkheiser’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Dorothee Quennseeon’s Pixabay Page – Creative Commons License