This week, 70 people were shot -- 12 fatally -- when a gunman armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun, and a Glock handgun opened fire in a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. As gun control advocates, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, called for a discussion on a national problem that is literally killing us, some claimed it's too early. Actually, it's already too late for the Colorado victims -- whose names, in what has become a too-often-repeated ritual, get second (or third... or twelfth) billing to the murderer's. But it's not too late for the thousands of people who are alive today but won't be next year because of gun violence. With America's gun murder rate 20 times higher than the next 22 richest nations combined, it's a discussion that should be front and center, including in the coming presidential debates. But it won't be... unless we demand it.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

This week, 70 people were shot -- 12 fatally -- when a gunman armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun, and a Glock handgun opened fire in a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. As gun control advocates, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, called for a discussion on a national problem that is literally killing us, some claimed it's too early. Actually, it's already too late for the Colorado victims -- whose names, in what has become a too-often-repeated ritual, get second (or third... or twelfth) billing to the murderer's. But it's not too late for the thousands of people who are alive today but won't be next year because of gun violence. With America's gun murder rate 20 times higher than the next 22 richest nations combined, it's a discussion that should be front and center, including in the coming presidential debates. But it won't be... unless we demand it.

Add your voice to the conversation on Twitter: twitter.com/ariannahuff

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot