In mass murders, weapons matter most

It’s good to hear Republicans finally acknowledge the danger from white supremacy. But focusing on that motive alone is another way to talk around the main cause of mass shootings – easy access to powerful weapons.

Let’s review the mayhem of the last two weeks:

A man with a hatred of Hispanics — armed with a militarystyle rifle — killed 22 people at a shopping center in El Paso, Texas.

A man with an unknown motive — armed with a military-style rifle — killed nine people in a nightclub area of Dayton, Ohio.

A man with an unknown motive — armed with a military-style rifle — killed three people at a festival in Gilroy, Calif.

Now, some other recent mass murders:

A man with an unknown motive — armed with a military-style rifle — killed 58 people in Las Vegas.

A man who swore allegiance to the Islamic State — armed with a military-style rifle — killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

A man with a family feud — armed with a military-style rifle — killed 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

A man with a desire to kill children — armed with a militarystyle weapon — killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary

School in Newtown, Connecticut.

A man with a grudge — armed with a military-style weapon — killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

A man with a hatred of Jews — armed with a military-style rifle — killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Notice a pattern?

Hatred of minorities is one motive. Others include hatred of family members, workplace anger or a sick wish to be infamous.

Every shooter, though, armed himself for battle with a weapon of war. The man who killed 12 people in Virginia Beach this year used pistols, not rifles, but he had high-capacity magazines and used a silencer.

Our epidemic of mass shootings is embarrassing the United States. Congress compounds that embarrassment by refusing to take any meaningful action. Most of that blame lies with Republicans. That pattern is about to repeat itself.

FBI Director Christopher

Wray is correct that the government needs more resources to fight right-wing violence. It went almost unnoticed on Monday that Cesar Sayoc received a 10-year sentence for mailing 16 pipe bombs to Democrats whom he considered critics of President Trump.

Still, Washington no longer can give the National Rifle Association veto power over gun control legislation. That is especially true now, given the mounting body count and the controversy over the NRA’s finances.

The latest revelation is that Executive Director Wayne LaPierre wanted the non-profit organization to buy him a $6 million mansion near Dallas. The Washington Post reports that LaPierre worried about becoming a target after the Parkland shooting. What irony.

Like Trump, legislative leaders in Tallahassee are expressing concern about “white nationalism.”

“This weekend was a tipping point for me,” said Sen. Rob Bradley, who chairs the appropriations committee. “When these events start to stack on each other, from California, to New Zealand, to Charleston, to El Paso, it becomes clear that an ideology is motivating these mentally deranged individuals.”

Bradley, however, wrongly associates mental illness with hatred. He also stresses motive over weaponry.

To his credit, Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, wants “to review and better understand the various factors involved in mass shootings.”

Galvano has asked Sen. Tom Lee, R-Tampa, to lead the examination. Lee chairs the Senate committee that deals with security and is a former Senate president.

We hope Lee’s committee takes a hard look at the ease with which people can obtain weapons of war, the common denominator in all these shootings.

After the Stoneman Douglas shooting, the Legislature responded by banning firearms sales to most people under 21. Legislators also imposed a waiting period and banned bump stocks, which the Las Vegas shooter used to modify his semiautomatic weapon for automatic fire.

They also made Florida a “red flag” state. Authorities can seize weapons from people considered a danger to themselves or others. A court then can ban people from possessing weapons for a year.

These all are helpful developments. But the Legislature could have banned military-style weapons and thus gotten to the root of the problem. Now a petition campaign seeks to put a ban on the 2020 ballot.

Even if voters approved the ban, however, the Legislature would have to write the rules. Floridians also could get the weapons from neighboring states that didn’t ban them. Mass shootings are a nationwide problem that demands a national response.

Though Trump sees “no appetite” for it, a new Politico/ Morning Consult poll found that 70 percent of Americans — including most Republicans — favor a ban on military-style weapons.

Congress also should ban highcapacity magazines and expand background checks to all gun sales. That would do much more than simply talking about white supremacy.

The mayors of El Paso and Dayton joined about 200 of their counterparts Thursday in calling for the Senate to pass background check expansion bills that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won’t bring up for a vote. Congress should start there – and keep going.

AP