Last Wednesday (June 14) U.S. Congressman Scalise and three others were shot and wounded in Alexandria VA, and four people were shot and killed and two others wounded in San Francisco. Can we please get serious about background checks?

A June 2016 CNN/ORC poll found that “92 percent of respondents wanted expanded background checks, 87 percent supported a ban for felons or people with mental health problems and 85 percent would ban people on federal watchlists from buying guns.”

How does the NRA continue to defeat meaningful gun safety legislation?

First, they fund the campaigns of certain congressional representatives in return for their support. Second, they aggressively spread misinformation. For example, they dishonestly claim all we need to do is enforce current laws. Their dirty little secret is that they successfully lobbied congress for the 1978 Tiahrt Amendments which hamstrings the ATF and FBI from enforcing our laws.

According to the CDC, the were over 36,000 U.S. gun deaths in 2015. Yet congress fails to act. That’s the equivalent of two jet airliners crashing every week and killing all 350 passengers each time. Would that get their attention? Then why not these gun deaths?

Please email your Senators and Congressional Representative, or call their local offices. Ask them to introduce legislation that would eliminate roadblocks to effective universal background checks. Almost everyone agrees that guns do not belong in the hands of convicted felons, terrorists and the mentally ill.

Peter D. Bullard

Snoqualmie