On the recordNovember 27, 2012
as the 112th Congress returns after the election, we should consider this important question: Have we done our share to help prevent gun violence? Statistics from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence give a clear answer--no. Almost 100,000 people die as the result of gun violence in America every single year. This statistic includes 12,000 people who are murdered, 18,000 who commit suicide, and 20,000 under the age of 20. On average, 270 people are shot in the United States every single day. Our society faces an epidemic of gun violence. Consider stories that have gone largely unreported in recent months: Near Chicago, a 16-year- old was shot twice in the head while riding in a car on her way home. A staff member on a prominent university's medical campus accidentally discharged his handgun at work and injured two people. And on election day, a parolee in California walked into the plant where he worked, methodically murdered two of his coworkers, and wounded another two before shooting himself. Stories like these flash across newspapers for a few days or weeks, and then the national spotlight moves on. But we cannot forget that while reporters may leave, the tragic effects of gun violence linger. They forever alter the lives of good, talented young people, like Ashley Moser, who lost her 6-year-old daughter in the horrific movie theater attack in Aurora, CO. She is partially paralyzed now and faces significant health problems and medical bills.…





