Steven JP Dionne: We live in a country where assault rifles are easier to obtain than prescription painkillers

To The Daily Sun,

Robb Elementary School, 11-year-old bodies so mutilated by 5.56 mm rounds expelled from two Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 AR15, "Made in the USA," clothing and DNA identified the remains.

Mass murders are nothing new in this country. In 1966, Charles Whitman barricaded himself in the University of Texas clock tower. Whitman armed with a bolt-action Remington 700 ADL, killed 18 and injured 31. Sixty years later, the same BS from politicians.

It is difficult to have a serious bipartisan discussion pursuant to gun violence, when local politicians such as Rep. Ray Howard (R-Alton) indicates his position on weapons control is "two hands firmly griping a gun". Rep. Richard Littlefield (R-Laconia) writes, "The answer to the question is painfully simple, mental health issues cause gun violence". A bandwagon fallacy. The absurdity of the comment is nearly equal to Littlefield’s catachrestic comparison between a gun and crowbar.

Allen Frances, M.D., Duke University, writes the "frequency of mental disorders in mass murderers is controversial, it’s unclear where to draw the line between bad and mad", Psychology Today, May 2014.

World-wide studies of mental disorders indicate countries whose social structure places performance and individualism above all else exhibit the highest level of mental disorders. Many developed English-speaking countries have as low a mental health quotient score as the United States. ("Core Anglosphere’", Insider.Com, March 2022). Why does the U.S. have the higher rate of mass murder than the rest of the free world combined? We live in a country where assault rifles are easier to obtain than prescription painkillers.

Numerous surveys conclude 70%-80% of Americans favor universal background checks and red flag laws.

Since the Sandy Hook massacre, the NRA and gun manufacturers lobby have spent roughly $255,000,000 "electing politicians who support our agenda".

Conclusion; GOP places a higher value on campaign receipts then your children’s lives.

Steven JP Dionne

Laconia