Joe Swain: Yes – now let’s act

As I read the June 18 news story in which club owners and managers of public facilities note the impossibility of perfect safety, it was clear the answer to the headline “Could Orlando happen here?” is yes.

One of the owners cited the attack on the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, as another example. But ...

▪ The Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina – could happen here.

▪ The Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado – could happen here.

▪ The Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut – could happen here.

▪ The Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin – could happen here.

▪ The Virginia Tech classroom – could happen here.

So many more we all can list.

I believe in responsible gun ownership. I own two guns. It is time to reject the claim that any revision of gun sale regulation is the first step on a slippery slope to total confiscation. We need to reason together to find steps that make more difficult that these atrocities happen here.

This story was originally published July 2, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Joe Swain: Yes – now let’s act."