By Cheryl Mattox Berry
Soulless. Spineless. Demented. There aren’t enough words in the dictionary to describe the 29-year-old man who shot up Pulse nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 patrons and wounding 53 others. Whatever his religious or moral beliefs were regarding homosexuality, they didn’t justify the carnage, which is being called the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
It’s time Americans stop being held hostage by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its highly paid lobbyists, and bulging war chests that keep pro-gun lawmakers in office. Voters must demand stricter gun control laws because we’re not safe anymore. Not signing autographs, like singer and The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie, 22, who was killed by a gunman last Friday after a concert in Orlando. Not salsa dancing with friends.
If you’re sick and tired of the killings, tell your representatives in Congress. Know who you’re dealing with by first checking to see whether the lawmaker has received campaign contributions from the NRA, which donates big bucks to candidates, leadership PACS and political parties.
President Obama has spoken often about the need for tougher gun control legislation, but his voice has been drowned out by the NRA and its supporters. Voters, you hold an even greater power – the ability to turn politicians out of office if they don’t respond to your needs.
How many more of these mass slayings and so-called isolated incidents must we bear witness to on U.S. soil before Congress gets it? Teenagers are killing each other with assault-style rifles and handguns at an alarming rate in most major cities. Young men and women with promising careers are being cut down before their lives even begin.
It’s sickening and shameful that the NRA matters more than the lives of innocent people.
We can no longer afford to sit on our sofas wringing our hands while watching news stories about mass killings that are happening too often. It’s time to make lawmakers do their job so that our neighborhood, city, children’s school, workplace, favorite restaurant, movie theater, concert hall, fitness studio and streets are safe again. Your life matters!