We are America and we have a gun problem

Everybody is already rationalizing today’s tragedy.  This law would not have stopped it.  Guns are sold illegally everyday on the street.  It’s a mental health issue.  Gun control doesn’t stop crime.  There is no gun show loophole.
We need to stop looking at these shootings and everday gun violence in isolation.  They are indicative of a gun-obsessed, special interest fueled, violent society.  So no one ‘thing’ will solve the latest horror, but that is no reason to ignore the underlying cultural facts.  We are America and we have a gun problem.
I am not an expert, but it’s time to get started.  And for those that claim I am trampling on the 2nd Amendment rights, my response is your rights do not trump mine and my right to a nation encompassed in ‘domestic tranquility’.
1)      Close the gun show loophole.
2)      Make the penalty for selling, carrying, buying, or owning a gun without proper documentation excessive.  Zero tolerance.  Prison time.
3)      Ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines.
4)      Eliminate the concept of the unlicensed gun seller.
5)      Legal gun sales require a five day waiting period.  If the dealer does not receive background check clearance, the deal is voided.
6)      Possession of a gun during another crime is mandatory prison term.
7)      Private citizen to citizen gun sales shall be illegal.
8)      Decriminalize marijuana and free up prison space…we’re gonna need it
9)      Limit the supply of guns while changing behaviors in such a way that demand of guns drops.
10)   Close straw purchase loophole.
There are others more influential, more powerful, and more knowledgeable than yours truly.  Let’s hope they act.
The time is now.

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