Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 2-20-18

Local
Another View Revisited
Where Do We Go From Here, America?
BY SAMUEL KINSEY
The United States of Amer- ica, the leader of the free world with more resources and know-how than any other country, has a huge problem that no other country has to face.
What is it?
It’s a love affair with big powerful guns that allows al- most any Americans who wants one to have it just for the asking; and it leads to in- creased frequency of innocent Americans being gunned down by some depraved person.
So, here we are once again mourning the deaths of inno- cent people, 14 students and 3 staff. And, praying for a speedy and complete recovery from the injuries to at least 14 others who were the victims of yet an- other senseless mass shooting, that happened on Valentine’s Day.
Each time we are faced with one of these horrific acts, it leaves us all in shocked, searching for answers, looking for solutions and wondering, “Where do we go from here”.
We Americans are smart people and there is no problem we can’t solve. So why are these shootings still happen- ing?
It’s because our state and federal leaders lack the politi- cal will to act.
It seems as though some are so in the back pockets of the National Rifle Association (NRA) that they won’t even go to the bathroom without the NRA’s permission.
To them, the endorsement of the NRA is more sacred than the lives of U. S. citizens.
Our political leaders are big on lip service and of course they will utter all the usual things that they say during times like this.
Here is the essence of com- ments from some polls that in- clude our President, Governor, Senator Marco Rubio and
others: ‘our thoughts and prayers to the victims; today is a day that we pray will never come and I pray for the safety of the victims.’
What?
Some of the victims are dead.
Prayer is a good thing and I whole-heartedly encourage it. But, if our President and con- gressional leaders really want to make a difference, why not pass sensible legislation re- quiring background checks be- fore anyone can purchase a weapon and banning these weapons of mass destruction that too many own.
Most polls indicate that the overwhelming majority of Americans support such legis- lation.
As a rebuttal, some Repub- licans will argue that no legis- lation will prevent all such acts of violence and I fully agree with them.
But, which law is perfect and an end-all? Requiring a driver’s license doesn’t stop all unauthorized drivers from get- ting behind the wheel, but no- body suggest that we should not require drivers to have one.
And how is that a 19-year- old who cannot legally drink but can legally buy a gun?
Any new legislation should require the purchaser to be at least twenty-one years old.
So, where do we go from here, America?
First, I suggest that we should all be angry at our lead- ers who failed to take steps to keep us and our children safe from this terrible violence; we should contact them, letting them know that their inaction is unacceptable and demand- ing that they immediately take corrective actions to secure our safety.
Finally, if they do not re- spond to our demands, we should use the power of our collective votes to vote these rascals out.
Just another view.
State Senators Call For Gun Legislation
In the wake of the school shooting in South Florida last week, two Florida Senators are calling for gun safety leg- islation.
Senator Daphne Campbell, said, “The tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School deeply troubles me. The time for a ‘having a conversation’ is now. We must take substantive action to ensure that acts of violence like this never happen again. I call on Governor (Rick) Scott and my colleagues in the House and Senate to sup- port legislation banning the sale of assault weapons (SB 196/H219) in our state.
She further said, “Mass shootings like: Aurora, Sandy Hook, Pulse, Las Vegas, and Sutherland, TX all have one thing in common and that an assault weapon was used to kill a large number of inno- cent citizens in a short period of time.
Senator Campbell con- tinued, “It baffles me that a teenager in our state can walk into a gun store, and purchase a machine of death without a mental evaluation, or a wait- ing period, before walking out of the store with a gun...
“Let’s end these senseless killings in our state, let’s make Florida a safer place for
SENATOR LINDA STEWART
our children and neighbors. We have the power to make a difference. Let’s start now.”
Senator Linda Stewart
is calling on her colleagues to place SB 196 on the agenda for a hearing. The bill relates to gun safety. It bans the sale of civilian versions of military assault weapons and the high capacity magazines that makes them so lethal.
This is the second year that the bill has been filed. However, it has never ap- peared before any committee. The bill is now considered a call to action in the wake of the killings at Stoneman Dou- glas High School.
Senator Stewart said, “I am sad. I am angry. We have 17 dead children. It is pathetic that we as adults cannot have
a meaningful conversation about assault weapons. We have a responsibility to act. There is no legitimate reason whatsoever to own these weapons designed for mass murder.
“We’re not taking any- body’s guns away and we’re not infringing on anybody’s right to hunt or to protect themselves. We need to start getting control of the things we can by enacting common sense laws to help prevent what happened in Parkland and at Pulse nightclub from being repeated. So long as I hold this office, I will use its powers to that end—so help me God.”
If passed into law, SB 196 would not apply to guns al- ready purchased in Florida.
BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOL SHOOTING
SENATOR DAPHNE CAMPBELL
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018