Should consider NRA culpable and take action

Most if not all mourn for the people lost and injured in the mass shooting in Las Vegas, as we mourned Columbine, Charleston, Sandy Hook, Orlando and on and on. We will have moments of silence, send prayers, donate blood and wish extreme violence would stop. Regulations will not stop all gun violence, but when it comes to actually doing something to lessen the carnage, we are captive to NRA extremists and to politicians they bought.

I am not anti-gun and I don’t blame law-abiding gun owners for the acts of deranged individuals. However, there is a group I consider culpable. Members of the NRA endorse extremist views and lobbying efforts that prevent common-sense regulations from being enacted -- regulations a majority of Americans support. When the funerals are over, those of us not directly affected will get back to our normal lives, but those who lost loved ones, the injured, and those who had to run for their lives have lost all normalcy. Their lives will never be normal.

If you are a member of the NRA, you have power to enact change. Of all music genres, country music likely has the most members of the NRA. I call on all NRA members to take action by renouncing your membership and by contacting your congressional delegation to express your desire to see common-sense regulations enacted. If you are truly disgusted by the level of gun violence in our country, please take action today.

This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Should consider NRA culpable and take action."