A lone gunman with an assault style AR-15 semi-automatic rifle opened fire in a Parkland, Fla., high school killing 17 (mostly students) and wounded 14 others. It was the most deadly school shooting in over five years. The type of rifle used was banned by the Clinton administration for 10 years and the Bush 43 administration allowed the ban to die without renewal. Such rifles should never be allowed on the streets of America.
The Clinton ban worked and our law enforcement community loved it. The law, known as the Brady Bill was named after James Brady, President Reagan's press secretary who was severely wounded during the assassination attempt of President Reagan. Reagan and President George H.W. Bush could never get such a law passed but Clinton did, and he did not have the baggage drag of the NRA. It was also the Clinton administration that put and paid for 100,000 new police officers in the streets for local police departments across our nation. The Bush 43 administration also let that expire. Clinton's actions on keeping America safe went a lot farther than his opponents rhetoric.
The reaction to the Florida shootings by Trump and those in congress controlled by the NRA and the gun lobby were the same as the record mass shooting and killings in Las Vegas last year. "Condolence and Prayers" which does not solve the problem of assault style weapons of war that can do so much damage in a short period of time in the hands of civilians. President Trump has fallen plenty short in rejecting violence and hate groups and is a divisive President who respects no one. It would be a help when he goes to Florida next week to visit with the families of those parents who lost love ones in the shooting to announce that he is going to ask congress to once again pass an assault weapons ban bill with no sunset provisions.
That would be the least the President should do if he really rejects violence and hate. The American people will find out soon enough just where he stands after another mass shooting on his watch.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
