Guns are the problem

We will remember Lewiston, Uvalde, Buffalo, E Lansing, El Paso, Las Vegas, Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Oxford, Colorado Springs, and Orlando, to name just a few. According to numerous reputable news sources 2023 is already a record breaking year for mass shootings in America. One out of every five adults in the U.S. will have a family member killed by firearms. Only in America. Why? It's the guns!

We need background checks on all gun purchasers, requirements to obtain a permit, red flag laws and bans on AR-15s and high capacity magazines.

In Iowa, the Governor and Republican-led legislature continues to make guns even more accessible. HF654, already passed by the Iowa Senate, awaits passage in the House in 2024. If passed, Iowans will be able to carry their guns in their vehicles onto public parking spaces and driveways. This includes schools, colleges and universities. The guns need to be locked up and out of sight only when the vehicle is unoccupied.

The bill calls for mandatory firearm instruction in grades K through 12 and this instruction "shall" be based on the NRA model for teaching firearm safety.

Using some words from our last president, I ask, when will this very real "American carnage" stop?

Marcia Swift

Cedar Rapids