Boca Democrat Tina Polsky: How can we change gun safety laws? Vote them out. It's simple
When would be a good time to consider new gun safety laws?
Have you ever heard of lawn darts? If not, it’s because they were taken off the market when a child died from this dangerous weapon. Would you believe there was a time when there was no airport security? Do you wear a seatbelt or strap your baby into a car seat because it is the law?
Why do you do these things? Because after careful consideration, we passed laws to protect public safety and soon we changed our behavior. Consequently, car accidents and deaths are down tremendously in part because of these necessary public safety laws.
This means we have a choice. We can make our lives safer by addressing major public safety issues, or we can do nothing and just be victims over and over and over again. Of course, I am writing about gun safety.
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Don’t tell me figuring out which automatic weapons are out there is more complicated than putting security checkpoints at every single airport in America. The naysayers said people would stop flying and it would be too inconvenient. Today more people fly and fly safely than ever before.
So would it be too inconvenient to add background checks to internet gun sales and at gun shows? Is it too complex to require background checks for purchasing ammunition? These are simple measures that deny no one the right to “keep and bear arms” – well, except it would keep more guns out of the hands of criminals and perhaps even those with serious mental health issues.
We have to show ID to purchase Sudafed, but you can buy a ghost gun anonymously. How does that make sense? We take our shoes off at the airport because one time, one person, attempted to make a shoe bomb. But a mass shooting nearly every week this year does not warrant even a discussion on the Senate floor.
Why have we not solved this crisis or even tried? Because a small group of extremist Republicans refuse to even come to the table. Whether it’s the funds they have received from the NRA (Marco Rubio) or that they are so afraid of their base, I don’t know. But when one side lionizes murderers like Kyle Rittenhouse, when elected officials pose with their toddlers with assault rifles, something is terribly wrong.
There is a simple answer and that is to vote every one of them out of office. If you care about your safety, you need to become a single-issue voter to combat the single-mindedness of the NRA voters for decades. You still have the right to cast a ballot. You still have the right to speak out against extremists who oppose even simple measures like background checks, waiting periods, the easy accessibility of weapons designed for mass murder. And even with these modest measures you will still have the right to own a gun. What’s worse, in addition to not hearing any gun safety legislation, our own Governor has vowed to INCREASE the number of guns out there with open, permit-less carry. This must be stopped.
You have the right and responsibility to own and operate a car safely. You have the right to buy over the counter medication. You have the right to fly freely in this country and none of the above-mentioned safety measures impede those rights. Let’s approach gun safety the same way. Reasonable and reasoned safety measures would go a long way to reducing the number of people needlessly and senselessly killed in America every single week.
Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton) is Florida state senator from District 29.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Gun safety laws make sense like other consumer regulation
