Republicans unmoved by mass shootings

The mass murder of children at schools is now a common feature of American life. The weapons of choice are military-type assault rifles, designed to kill humans by inflicting horrendous physical destruction. The injuries inflicted upon the little 6-year-olds at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, for example, were so massive, so gruesome, that experienced emergency room physicians and nurses were traumatized.

There is no legitimate reason that a civilian needs an assault rifle. Such weapons were banned for 10 years under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The Republicans in Congress allowed the ban to expire in 2004. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert refused to allow a vote on extending the ban.

Any normal person would be deeply moved and horrified by events such as the murder of 17 students and staff at the high school in Parkland, Florida. But not the Republicans in Congress. They have done nothing to try to prevent such events. They are unmoved by the horrific deaths of these children.

Why is this? The answer is obvious. The NRA, which represents the interests of gun manufacturers and sellers, has purchased the Republicans in Congress. In the last election cycle, the NRA contributed $5.9 million to Republicans.

My congressman, Randy Hultgren, got $13,000 from the NRA, and area Congressman Peter Roskam received $18,450. In fairness, it's not just the money. Congressmen like Hultgren and Roskam are afraid that if they "cross" the NRA, the NRA will support a candidate to challenge them in the primary. So it's not merely avarice. It's cowardice.

Enough is enough. There will be no reasonable restrictions on guns as long as Republicans and the NRA control Congress. Hultgren and Roskam have got to go.

Wiley W. Edmondson

Geneva