A note from the Violence Policy Center

This made my brain hurt. No mention of the Mexican gun nonsense though...

Dear Friend of the Violence Policy Center:

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. During the past decade, hundreds of thousands of additional lives have been lost to gun violence--in suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings.

At the same time, horrifying events like Columbine--attacks carried out against fellow students, families, co-workers, worshippers, and complete strangers--have become so familiar to us that they have their own generic name: rampage shootings.

Such shootings are the direct result of the increasing firepower readily available to civilians in the U.S. The reality is that firepower--in the form of semiautomatic assault weapons, 50 caliber sniper rifles, armor-piercing handguns, and high-capacity ammunition magazines--has become the primary product line produced by today's gun industry. The harsh truth is that such carnage can be prevented only when we take steps to control the gun industry. We ask you for your support to help us stop the flood of high-powered guns flooding our neighborhoods. Only then will America begin to gain relief from the relentless onslaught of rampage shootings.

Below please find a Huffington Post blog link to an op-ed I wrote that was published yesterday in the Washington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/mass-shooting-template--r_b_189054.html

The point of the piece is simple. As a nation we must move beyond decrying the predictable end-result of our lax gun laws and begin to take action: demanding more of our elected officials and of those who should be in this battle with us--but who have not yet joined.

As a supporter of the VPC you know this. I ask that you please send this e-mail forward to those who don't--and urge them to join us in our efforts to stop gun violence.

Sincerely,

Josh Sugarmann
Executive Director

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