Stopping Gun Violence

Another mass shooting in Oregon this week killing 10 people and injuring several more has again caused shock and a call for stricter gun laws. But soon we will resume our routines and numb ourselves to the reality that criminals, mentally ill people and militants can access guns without background checks or registration in most states. The Oregon tragedy brings the total mass shootings (killing four or more) by gunfire in the U.S. this year so far to 294, and we've had only 274 days.The National Rifle Association (NRA), which donates large sums to members of Congress and scares gun owners into believing the government wants to take their guns away, will again thwart any attempt to have stricter gun controls. In Kansas, no state permit is required to purchase a rifle, shotgun, or handgun. This year, Gov. Brownback signed a bill expanding the state's permitless open-carry laws to include concealed carry.
How many deaths will it take to stop this proliferation of guns? I have read that we have more guns than people in the U.S., yet they have not made us safer. We have excessively more gun violence than most other developed countries. If enough people had the will and would demand stricter gun control laws, we could save many innocent lives. About 20 years ago there was a massacre in Australia and their government passed a bold series of laws that banned the possession of a range of deadly weapons. In 12 days they accomplished what gun control supporters in the U.S. have failed at for decades.