Trib editorial supporting 2 House gun control bills a good first step

It took to March 1, 2019, but the Trib finally got on board two sensible gun legislation initiatives: background checks for private gun sales and extension of the background check deadline from 3 to up to 20 days (the 'Charleston Loophole" that allowed Dylan Roof to acquire the gun used to kill 9 in a church). If not mistaken this is the Trib's first teensy foray into supporting sensible gun legislation instead of simply bemoaning the weak law enforcement of existing gun laws. Interestingly, the Trib fails to mention it's the new Democratic House majority that passed these two laws and it's the Republican Senate majority that will likely consign them to the NRA congressional trash bin, never to get within range of a last minute Trump veto. For reasons only the Trib Editorial Board can explain, drastic action to tamp down the near 40,000 gun deaths yearly, the true national security issue, has never been a priority for the Trib. That is both shameful and a dis-service to a public demanding action. 

But kudos for this first baby step. Now let us ever hopeful Trib subscribers see an editorial demanding:       

End to manufacture and sale of assault weapons which are essentially machine guns; enactment of smart gun technology to prevent any gun from being fired by other than its owner; end to state laws restricting physicians from discussion of gun violence starting at age 3; repeal of the Dickey Amendment, the 1996 law forbidding the Center for Disease Control (CDC) from spending funds on gun violence research; end to legal immunity for gun manufacturers. 

Tackling these issues will vault the Trib into the forefront of sensible editorial commentary on gun violence. Those of us promoting this debate trust the Trib will channel the the Sixth Century BC Chinese text Tao Te Ching: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". The Trib just took it. 

Walt Zlotow

Glen Ellyn