Three steps for changing gun culture

Isn’t it ironic that the man who rode down his golden escalator to announce his candidacy for president described immigrants as criminals and rapists? The criminals turned out to be some of his core base. And he continues to stoke and encourage at his rallies, the radical racism that wreaked havoc on El Paso and Dayton 10 days ago, as well as 29 other mass shootings since his June 2015 announcement with 363 senseless, defenseless deaths and 859 senseless, defenseless injuries AND all the families in grief left behind.

It’s not only our enabler-in-chief who is to blame by giving permission to hate diversity, but also the easy acquisition of military style automatic weapons, and the Senate Republicans who obey the NRA like robots, and their leader Mr. Mitch, who is sitting on gun legislation while they send ‘prayers and thoughts’ to injured families. We are essentially civilians in a war zone without a defined front line.

Three things could jump start a change. First priority: take out of circulation and criminalize automatic and assault guns. This won’t stop the killings but will reduce the massive numbers of deaths and injuries AND the competitiveness of the evil ones.

2) Require universal background checks.

3) Vote out of office all legislators who don’t stand up against, hate, gun violence, racism, bigotry and misogyny.

Our forefathers didn’t envision the misuse of the Second Amendment in this way!

I am sad and outrageously angry.

Joan Cross

La Conner