Our View: Voters are telling members of Congress that reform is needed on guns. Are they listening? Will they act in time to stop further bloodshed?

Picture this: an 18-year-old with an AR-15-style rifle, proclaiming his deadly intentions online just half an hour before carrying out a horrendous school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Sadly, his disturbing messages seemingly fell on deaf ears. What followed was a tragedy that words fail to capture.

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – this nation is at a pivotal crossroads. Regardless of political loyalty, voters are shouting from the rooftops that gun reform is not just necessary; it’s urgent. But the million-dollar question remains: Is Congress even paying attention? And if they are, will they take the necessary steps before more lives are lost?

Seriously, folks, we enforce age limits of 21 for purchasing alcohol and cigarettes. Yet, teens and young adults wielding semiautomatic rifles continue to wreak havoc in repeated mass shootings. It’s mind-boggling, isn’t it?

Why should an 18-year-old be allowed to purchase such lethal weaponry? And why on earth hasn’t Congress stepped up to the plate, especially when a significant majority of Americans—cutting across party lines—agree that we need tighter restrictions?