This week we all experienced the terrible tragedy and loss of 19 young Children and 2 teachers in the school shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. In the aftermath of that horrific event, all of us are questioning how this can continue to be happening in America 10 years after the previous shooting of twenty 6- and 7-year-old children and 6 adult staff at Sandy Hook Elementary school.

Nothing has changed in America since that earlier tragedy. We have had many mass shootings since that time. This year has already seen 27 school shootings and over 200 mass shootings in America. Nothing has been done in congress to enact safer gun laws and ban military style assault weapons and implement background checks. That is something that the majority of people in America want. The NRA spends many millions to influence republican congressman's vote. Because of the NRA's huge financial campaign support, republicans in Congress will never vote to make America safer by implementing these safety measures in our country.

America has the most mass shootings in the more affluent democratic countries in the world because many other countries have sensible gun laws. Britain and Australia implemented gun laws in the last few years and brought down their mass shootings dramatically with Australia only having one this year. Americans have hoped through the years that republicans would join democrats in voting for rational gun laws along with more mental health funding, but we must all realize by now that republicans in congress will never do that. They will not vote for safer gun laws. They will not vote for better mental health funding so that more young men can be prevented from committing these murders.

Who then is responsible for changing this dangerous environment in which we live? It ultimately becomes the responsibility of the voters. If any republican or independent votes these Republican congressmen back into office, then that voter is responsible for the risk and danger to all the school children in our country including their own school age children and grandchildren.

We can make America a safer place again by emulating the people of Britain and Australia and voting into office candidates who will pass good, sensible gun laws. We can do this by voting out the congressmen who will not act in the best interest of American school children. If we don’t do this at the next election in November then we, the voters, are the ones who will be ultimately responsible for the next inevitable mass shooting.

We can use our vote in November to make America a safe place again if we want to. That must now be our choice and ultimately our responsibility and our mission. I believe that no voter ever wants to be the one who will be responsible for the shooting death of another child in America.