And now we learn that 19 little kids in a Texas elementary school were slaughtered by a young man using an AR-15. What can one say? Been there, done that. Echoes of Sandy Hook. Echoes of the NRA stranglehold they have on so many greedy Congressmembers.

The awful truth is that an AR-15 was the weapon of choice in this and numerous other mass shootings. How many more massacres have to happen before we realize that this weapon should not be available for general purchase?

So now we hear endless TV reports about the need to end gun violence in our schools and supermarkets and churches and hospitals, etc., etc. There is talk of better background checks and better mental health evaluations and raising the age to purchase an AR-15. Blah, blah, blah.

Why is it not clear to everyone, especially our lawmakers, that the best answer to reducing gun deaths at present is to ban the sale of AR-15s and high-capacity magazines? What is the harm in that? Gun lovers would still have their hunting rifles and handguns and a whole variety of other weapons. The AR-15 is a military weapon meant to be used in times of war and should not be available to unbalanced teenagers and other murderous nutcases.

So, not being a gun owner, here is what I am going to do. I will inform my senators and representatives how I feel about banning the AR-15. Also, I will not vote for any candidate who is a member of the NRA. The NRA has blood on its hands and it is time for them to wake up.

Of course, banning the sale of the AR-15 will not stop all gun violence. But it is a big step in the right direction. I hope and pray that our lawmakers in Washington will be courageous enough to say no to the NRA and do the right thing. I hope and pray commonsense will rule in Washington before another slaughter of innocent kids and adults makes the news.