Letter to the editor: Take action on guns

To the editor:

Mass shooting events seems to be taking place more and more often. We are almost numb to the special report that flashes on the television screen or comes across the radio waves these days. While these attacks are occurring with more frequency, the truth is they have been happening for many years. From 1966 to 2012, 35 percent of the mass shootings worldwide were American, according to a 2015 study by Adam Lankford, a professor at the University of Alabama.

In fact, every day in the United States there are dozens of people killed by shootings. There is a way to decrease the number of shootings and make these horrific mass shooting events less frequent, and it is relatively simple. Pass common-sense gun laws such as restricting the sale of guns to those with mental illness and those on the no-fly list, background checks for those buying privately or through gun shows and banning concealed carry on college campuses. Polls show these issues to be favored by the public and yet there is no action from our elected officials.

Are we, the American people, going to continue to look the other way and then offer our prayers and condolences at each one of these terrible mass shootings while completely ignoring the dozens of incidents that occur on a daily basis? Let our elected officials know how you feel. The time to stand up for common-sense gun laws and to oppose concealed carry in public buildings is now!