Who is really to blame?

So the month of September went out with a bang literally as America has suffered another mass shooting.

The usual things took place after the shooting including major media coverage, a speech from the president and social media debates.

Friends we have a serious problem.

Now of course we have all heard the ridiculous argument that guns are harmless by themselves, but that goes directly against why they were created in the first place. Mass shootings bring out the worst of our society. It shows that the freedoms we believe we have only provide a cover up for the real truth — that we are enslaved to our political system and process, that only provides for the greedy and oppresses the needy.

There have already been 9,948 killings by firearms this year alone, compared to about 3,521 total terrorism-related deaths since the 70s in the United States. Moreover, The Washington Post reports that, 2015 has yet to go eight days without a mass shooting event–one in which four or more people are killed or injured by gunfire–with a total of 294 shootings taking place in just the 274 days of the year, so far.

It is interesting that other countries like America have passed laws that have stopped their mass shootings. Our media — as much as it racially profiles other crimes — has yet to produce a profile on mass shooters — another interesting tidbit.

My point in this message is not to eliminate guns altogether because they do serve a purpose and I carry one myself. There are those of us who work in professions that expose us to varied personalities. As a psychotherapist I deal with mental health and people who are challenged mentally and emotionally — the very reason our law enforcement officers carry.

I am a great supporter of ammo regulation, eliminating the sale of automatic and semiautomatic weapons to the public and psychological evaluations before purchase. It should also be illegal to sell firearms online.

I know this is not popular and I am well aware of our constitutional rights. My only question is whose family member has to die in a mass shooting before our government takes a serious look at this problem?

God forbid this to happen, but I wonder how soon we could expect new gun laws if the Pope during his visit had opened fire on Congress and killed 28 representatives with an AK 47 assault rifle. It’s ridiculous, I know, and this Pope is definitely a Pope of peace and unity, but still the point remains. I am tired of seeing these types of deaths when all we have to do is pass a law. Our country is better than this.