Start with universal background checks
Dear Congressman Hultgren, In the aftermath of the mass shooting last week at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, I am writing to demand the passage of sensible gun control legislation, starting with universal background checks.
According to a recent survey of registered voters by Quinnipiac University, 93 percent of Americans support requiring background checks for all gun buyers. With such overwhelming public support, it is unconscionable that Congress has failed to act on this simplest and least controversial of measures.
The horrific acts at Umpqua Community College represent the 45th school shooting and the 295th mass shooting to date in 2015. According to studies conducted by the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, mass public shootings in the United States have tripled since 2011. The cause is clear: Easy access to guns jeopardizes public safety.
It is also clear that innocents will continue to die until you and your fellows in Congress summon the courage to act. Gun violence has become routine in America. I agree with President Obama that our thoughts and prayers are not enough. As a just man once said, "faith without works is dead."
It is time for people of good conscience to take note of what is happening in this country and commit to changing things for the better. I hope we can count you among us.
Brian P. Doyle
St. Charles