An Open Letter to Congress: War

An Open Letter to the Members of the United States Congress -- The War Within the States: It seems almost unanimous that all of you fear the threat of foreign acts of terror on United States soil. It is correct and proper to show concern and vigilance. Yet the total number of people killed in gun-related violence in America in just the past forty-eight hours is almost double the number of Americans killed by foreign-instigated acts of terrorism since the 9-11 attacks. Get your heads out of the sand. Better still, stop distracting a nervous public from the greater danger facing us: it is a war out there. Americans are at war with each other and with themselves. Gun deaths (murder and suicide) exceed 400,000 since the Trade Towers fell. That is 133 times more than died on that tragic day. Since that day, despite two protracted wars, the threat of ISIS today, and the activities of every terrorist both foreign and domestic, fifty times more Americans have died on our own streets and in our own homes, by our own hands, than perished in those wars. You can say: well, people will kill themselves and each other regardless. But guns, and handguns in particular, make that decision both immediate and irreversible. No other civilized country has violence statistics close to ours: it really is a war out there. And each statistic is a life cruelly and permanently aborted. Stronger gun control legislation is imperative. The bloodbath goes on and on, our culture calls this the new normal. We cannot allow that to be. You each have a semblance of power to effect meaningful changes and thereby save lives and guide our society to an evolution in attitude. There are reasonable steps that can be taken if bold men and women decide to take them. The killings must cease. The culture of killing must change. As legislators, you must find a way. The blood is on your hands every day you ignore, equivocate, postpone, or simply choose not to act.