Gun control now

While gun killings of innocent Americans have become all too common, there is something uniquely horrifying about the Aug. 26 murder of journalists Alison Parker and Adam Ward in Virginia.

The fact that their killer recorded his crimes and posted them on the Internet, to be rebroadcast in part on nightly newscasts around the country, gives us an unprecedented glimpse into the horror of gun violence.

There is no excuse for inaction on gun control now.

Still, no sooner did news of the Virginia killings spread than top Republicans repeated their obfuscations of the fact guns are simply too easy to acquire in this country.

“It’s not the guns, it’s the people who are committing these crimes,” Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican presidential candidate, callously said.

Unfortunately, droves of politicians who are beholden to the gun lobby have defied the will of most Americans for years. Nine out of 10 people support universal background checks. 

Change is not going to happen as long as state and federal officials keep taking campaign contributions from the National Rifle Association while advancing a distorted interpretation of the Second Amendment. The group spent a whopping $81 million on congressional and presidential races from 2000 to 2013, according to the Center for Public Integrity.

While gun control advocates are right to redouble their efforts in the wake of the Roanoke murders, they would do well to join forces with groups fighting political corruption.

A constitutional amendment to limit campaign spending would remove the price tags shamefully hanging from many lawmakers’ suits. Only then will politicians be able to heed their constituents’ overwhelming calls for legislation that could prevent another massacre form happening again.