NRA blamed for shooting
I have no affection or admiration for a thirty-six year-old married father of four who carries on at least one extramarital affair with a woman who is barely an adult. The betrayal of his family, though, did not merit the murder of football great Steve McNair at the hands of a jealous and deranged lover. It should be prominently noted that the unindicted co-conspirator in every handgun death is the National Rifle Association (NRA), which controls and directs virtually every elected body in the nation. At a time when one of our nation’s greatest problems, our internal terror threat, is gun slaughter, the NRA ludicrously believes that the more weapons that are in our hands, the better off we shall be. It considers every individual to be a “responsible gun owner” unless and until they demonstrate that they are not, which we discover too late, after murder or slaughter has occurred. While we require our law enforcement officers to undergo stringent psychological testing before allowing them to carry weapons, the average citizen has the ability to secure an arsenal with no consideration of their mental health, no delay, and no inconvenience, making it easy for crimes of passion like the McNair murder to occur.
I am not sure how many more senseless killings facilitated by guns must occur before action is taken, but I fear that it is a great many. Our elected officials have no desire to recognize their obligation to provide for public safety, choosing instead to bow to and recognize the inordinate power of the NRA. America’s governance is not determined by the people. It is and shall likely always be government by powerful and monied special interest.
Oren Spiegler
Upper Saint Clair