PROFILES IN COWARDICE

Today, the United States Senate voted down several proposals that would have expanded gun control. The measures that failed to reach a 60 vote filibuster-proof majority included: 1) background checks favored by 90% of Americans, 2) a ban on high-capacity gun magazines, 3) and a ban on assault weapons that are the weapon of choice of both soldiers in battlefields and mass murderers in our schools and on our streets.

There were many victims or family members of victims of gun violence who were present in the Senate when the final votes were cast.  Among them was Ms. Patricia Maisch, a survivor of the the Virginia Tech shootings. Upon hearing the results of the vote, Ms. Maisch shouted, "Shame on You." I cannot think of three better words to describe how I am so many Americans feel about the cowardly 46 Senators, including 4 Democrats (Begich of Alaska, Pryor of Arkansas, Baucus of Montana, and Heitkamp of North Dakota), who failed to stand up for me, you, and our children.

In a stirring Op-Ed, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords echoed Ms. Maisch words -  Shame on you! - as she decried these legislators' cowardice.  These Senators helped defeat common sense today while helping the munitions manufacturers and their acolytes win.

President Obama was equally critical in a statement from the White House, which he gave while surrounded by families of those affected by gun violence.  The President said that this fight was not over despite the cowardice of these legislators. He said he would continue to fight for the dead, the maimed, and their loved ones.  He implored us to get involved and contact our congressional "leaders." I encourage you to do the same. Then, he became Comforter-in Chief and tried to provide some measure of solace to the grieving family members that had been affected by gun violence.

On a day when my own daughter's school felt compelled to conduct a "lock-down drill," it is hard to have faith in this country and in this world.  At Cate's school, the children were told that this exercise was about self-control and safety and that is was just practice. When I asked little Cate why they were practicing this drill, she merely said, "In case a stranger comes into my school." God forbid that might ever happen, but that is probably what the parents in Virgina Tech thought after Columbine or what the Newtown parents thought after Virgina Tech.

When will enough be enough?  What disaster must take place for gun owners and gun makers to be inconvenienced with greater gun regulation and oversight? How many lives are these "civil liberties" worth? To anyone who has lost a loved one or who is kept up at night worrying about their loved ones, the answer is that no other massacres should be necessary to effect change.

We have had a lot of tragedy lately - Boston, ricin-laced letters. However, the greatest tragedy is the unwillingness of our elected leaders to stand with us, to protect us, and to put politics behind principle.

I will not soon forget these 46 cowardly Senators, and I urge you to make them feel your scorn - not with firearms that they would let proliferate on your streets and your kids' schools - but at the ballot box. 2014 cannot come soon enough, and I will support any Democratic primary opponent on these cowards...