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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Jackson County escapes state's 'distressed' list ... Ticket availability ... New Valley radio station covers Ashland area ... Jackson County escapes state's 'distressed' list ... Ticket availability ... New Valley radio station covers Ashland area ... COMMENTARY Chris Honoré: When will Congress say 'Enough!'? Comment By Chris Honoré DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré Posted Jun. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré Posted Jun. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Already it seems a distant memory, but for those at its epicenter, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in Newtown, Conn., will forever remain all too real. The loss is still more than many can bear. It was on the morning of Dec. 14, 2012, that a demented shooter entered Sandy Hook and shot 20 children, ages 6 to 7, plus six staff members. The scene was one of heartbreaking horror. The perpetrator used a Bushmaster XM 15-E2S, a semi-automatic weapon created for the battlefield, designed to use a 20- to 30-round magazine. The ammunition of choice for this weapon is a .223-caliber bullet which fragments upon impact, meaning it will do a great deal of damage with less chance of passing through the target. What this high-velocity ammunition is capable of doing to the small bodies of children defies description, their wounds unimaginable, and the images that the first responders encountered upon arriving at Sandy Hook will live with them forever. In the aftermath of Sandy Hook there was, of course, gun control debate in Congress over legislation to ban assault rifles as well as the Manchin-Toomey Amendment to expand background checks. The bill was defeated in the Senate on April 17, 2013. In the shadow of Sandy Hook, the vote was craven in the extreme and still remains inexplicable. On Dec. 2, 2015, in San Bernardino, Calif., two shooters entered the Inland Regional Recreation Center during a training/holiday gathering. They were armed with AR-15 .223 semi-automatic weapons. They killed 14 people (ages 26-60), most shot in the back multiple times. Twenty-two were wounded. Once again, Congress failed to act, focusing instead on the connection of the shooters to radical jihadism and ISIS. The lawmakers remained silent on the issue of gun control, “no fly no buy,” and universal background checks. On June 12, 2016, a shooter armed with a Sig Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle entered the Pulse nightclub where hundreds were gathered and opened fire, killing 49 people and wounding 50. While it has not been reported how many rounds the shooter expended, it’s estimated that in just nine seconds he discharged 24. His Sig Sauer (similar to an AR-15) was legally purchased on June 4. This rifle is advertised as an innovative weapon system “built around a battle-tested core” with a “military-spec trigger,” and designed for Special Forces operators who refer to it as the “Black Mamba.” It was introduced for sale to the public in 2015. Note that the three tragic incidents described above are but the tip of a very large iceberg of mass shootings in America. Whether Congress goes beyond the utterance of “our thoughts and prayers are with the victims,” this moment will once again test their political courage. I’d rather lose an election than lose one more individual to an Orlando incident. Assault rifles, which are designed for the military and the police, should not be available to the general public. It’s simply common sense. They are created to kill as many people as possible in the shortest possible time. Military weaponry has always been restricted from public use, which is why you cannot buy, say, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG) in any gun shop. That you can’t purchase such a weapon is not a violation of the Second Amendment (which, like all amendments, is not absolute). As well, the AR-15 rifle is not intended for hunting. Can anyone seriously argue that it is? Where is the sport? As one gun control advocate stated, it’s the equivalent of using a pickup as a golf cart. Regarding the use of guns and sport, gun manufacturers, apparently uncomfortable with the term “assault rifle,” have insisted that the AR-15 be called a “modern sporting rifle,” a euphemism now used widely in the industry. It has been estimated there are 3.75 million AR-15s in existence in the U.S. We also know that America has 5 percent of the world’s population and yet has 31 percent of all mass shootings (four or more killed). All things considered, when do we as a people say to Congress, “Enough!”? Chris Honoré of Ashland is a Daily Tidings columnist. By Chris Honoré DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré Posted Jun. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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