Alcohol also kills

The shooting in Newport was a tragic event, and the suffering of the families is heartbreaking. However, another cause of death is even more tragic because these deaths occur in greater numbers every day and affect many more people. They come from the misuse of alcohol.

Although alcohol-related accidents account for far more deaths each year than deaths caused by guns, there are almost no controls over the sale and use of alcohol. Even people with a record of arrests for DWI can purchase alcohol legally, as can those with criminal records or a history of mental illness.

Alcohol-related deaths are tragic and horrific. Why no outcry for better controls over the sale and use of alcohol? Is it because alcohol-related deaths are not as sensationalized by the media and because the “drinking culture” is more acceptable than the “gun culture”?

We may or may not need more gun control, but we definitely need better control over the sale and use of alcohol. How about making buyers of alcohol go through the same screening as those who purchase guns?

Clark Rounds, Spring Hope