Maybe what angers me most about the
We can be shocked, yes, because this one happened someplace that we know. We can be heartbroken, surely, that 10 people who should be alive today were slaughtered at a grocery store. We can, as we should, thank the first responders, particularly when one of them, Eric Talley, was among those killed.
But we cannot claim surprise. We used to ask if this is really who we are. No one asks that anymore. It was just days ago that eight were killed in Atlanta. As Joe Biden pointed out, the flags are still at half staff. We might not like it, but, yes, it is who we are.
And we lost the luxury of surprise long ago. Certainly, we’ve lost it in Colorado, where mass shootings have become part of the state’s identity.
In fact, the only thing that would be surprising now is if we actually did something to address gun violence. After Sandy Hook, something changed for me. If the murder of 20 6-year-olds didn’t move Congress to act, I had to concede that maybe nothing ever would.
And yet, we can’t stop trying because, I mean, who would we be if we did?
In remarks Tuesday, Biden called for banning assault rifles and limiting magazine sizes. He called for the Senate passage of background bills passed by the House. It should be noted that in the otherwise infamous Biden crime bill from the ’90s, assault rifles were, in fact, banned. But the ban required congressional renewal after 10 years, and Congress predictably refused. Maybe that’s part of what Barack Obama was thinking Tuesday while blaming “cowardly politicians” and the “gun lobby” for refusing to take action on gun violence.
Meanwhile, in a Senate hearing, Ted Cruz said, “Every time there’s a shooting, we play this ridiculous theater where this committee gets together and proposes a bunch of laws that would do nothing to stop these murders. What happens in this committee after every mass shooting is Democrats propose taking away guns from law-abiding citizens because that’s their political objective.”
It’s theater, in just the way that Rand Paul said wearing masks during a pandemic was theater. Don’t they understand this is real life?
And don’t they understand that, in this life, we’re more heavily armed than ever? According to FBI data, gun sales rose 40% last year to 39,695,315. And this past January set a record for the month. In 1999, the first year that the FBI kept records, the number of gun sales was just over 9 million.
In Colorado, following the Aurora massacre, the state legislature passed a few significant laws. In response, the gun lobby led the recall of two legislators while another quit. This year, with Democrats firmly in control, the legislature is considering several gun safety bills, including one that would extend the waiting period to obtain a gun after purchase.
We have a red flag law in Colorado. And we have some sheriffs who openly say they won’t enforce it. It’s time for a national red flag law and civil penalties for those who refuse to enforce it. We can theft-proof guns. We can make background checks tougher. The Washington Post did a story the other day showing that in many states, it’s easier to buy a rifle than it is to register to vote.
What we’ve learned over the years is that most mass murder cases come at the place where disturbed young men and easy access to powerful guns intersect. We know this. We know that’s the starting place. When some senator says proposing guns laws is theater, many in Colorado flash back to the Aurora theater. Did we think then it couldn’t happen again? Do we think that now? Because obviously it has. Again and again and again.
Mike Littwin’s column is from The Colorado Sun, a reader-supported, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering Colorado issues. To learn more, go to coloradosun.com.
