Delay in gun violence legislation is not acceptable

I am inspired by the students from Parkland, Florida, and other communities around the country who have changed the conversation around gun violence. Many citizens and organizations (e.g., Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America) have toiled for years to address this scourge, but in the aftermath of Parkland, thanks to the students’ courage and leadership, we may at last see a change to the political stalemate around gun violence prevention in this country.

The American Journal of Medicine reported in March 2016 that, “the firearm homicide rate is 25 times higher, the firearm suicide rate is eight times higher, and the unintentional gun death rate is more than six times higher” in the U.S. than in other high-income countries. Yet despite this serious problem with gun violence, we have seen very little progress in legislation or public policy to address it. This lack of action should be unacceptable to everyone. The most glaring inaction to me is that, for many years, we have allowed significant gaps in our criminal background checking “system.”

I am hopeful that the momentum initiated by these Parkland students will continue to build, and that we will finally see significant progress towards reducing gun violence in the U.S.

Mike Bonato

Lake Forest Park