The State Journal-Register, Our View: Orlando must spur action on assault weapons

At what point does another mass shooting become a tipping point?\

Many thought it might be the slaughter of 20 first-graders, back in 2012. But that elementary school shooting, which also left six school staff members dead, provoked much talk and hand-wringing, and little change.

Fast forward to this summer, where America has a new somber distinction. Its worst-ever mass shooting casualty toll now stands at 49 dead, victims of an attack at a popular Orlando gay club. Another 53 were wounded, many grievously.

Put aside the shooter's motivations for a moment. Whether this was an act of terrorism, or a hate crime, the stark truth is that he was able to kill so many innocent people so quickly because he carried a Sig Sauer MCX assault-type rifle and high-capacity, 30-round magazines.

The Sig Sauer MCX was originally designed for the U.S. Special Operations forces, and according to the company's website, "represents an exciting purchase opportunity for the hunter, target shooter or collector."\

Do you really need a gun that can fire dozens of bullets in seconds to bring down a deer? Is it really "target shooting" if you're launching an indiscriminate fusillade?\

The assault weapon can be used for those purposes, yes, and collectors might enjoy having it. But balance that against the carnage it can potentially create.

Such weapons are all too easy to obtain in this nation, easily accessible to those with mental illness, those who harbor hate and those who sympathize with terrorists. A Philadelphia Daily News columnist found that it took her just seven minutes to become the owner of an AR-15. The FBI had investigated Orlando shooter Omar Mateen — but that didn't keep him from legally buying his weapons. He could have done that even if he'd been on the so-called terrorist "no-fly" list.

But it doesn't have to be this way. From 1994 to 2004, the nation banned semi-automatic assault weapons. (Among those advocating for the ban was former President Ronald Reagan.) It survived several legal challenges, but efforts to renew it after 10 years were unsuccessful.

Since the ban's expiration, the United States has seen 47 mass shootings. The death toll: 411.

At what point does that number become too high a cost?\

It is possible to support the Second Amendment, to support the right of responsible gun ownership, and to still believe that our gun culture has slid into a fanaticism of its own.

The time has come where the country has to question why it tolerates allowing easy access to a weapon that's proven to allow those with twisted intent or evil delusions to murder scores as efficiently as possible.

Take it from Congressman Seth Moulton, a former Marine. "I know assault rifles. I carried one in Iraq,” Moulton tweeted this week. "They have no place on America’s streets."\

This week, 57 percent of Americans said in a new CBS News poll that they would support an assault weapons ban. It's time for Congress to act.

You can read the full editorial here.