What a welcome idea is Steven Feuerstein’s suggestion (Voice of the people, Sept. 13) that the Tribune give front-page attention to each gun used in violence against or by children. Among other things, he advises tracing “the path of the weapon from the factory to the hands of a child,” including publishing the company’s profits from the gun’s sale.
This publicity should lay bare the role of the gun dealers, manufacturers, marketers, writers and lax federal regulators in providing the high degree of availability of guns. Society needs to find a way to hold all of these accountable.
I would add another aspect. The media should shine a bright light on the source of the National Rifle Association’s funding. The NRA’s cover as a representative of sportsmen, gun hobbyists and advocates of guns for self-protection should be blown. The connection between NRA campaign contributions and congressional voting on gun regulation should be highlighted. In this way, it will be possible to see to what extent the NRA is a conduit for gun industry money.
