Evil beyond imagining

Michael Bloomberg, New York’s anti-gun mayor, this week urged Mr. Obama to introduce legislation. If the president does nothing, Mr. Bloomberg notes that some 48000 Americans will be murdered by guns during his second term-several times more Americans than died on September 11th 2001, in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. Tightening existing laws would be a start. The 1994 Brady bill, named after Ronald Reagan’s press spokesman who was critically injured in an assassination attempt, brought in federal background checks for gun purchases. The refusal rate is very low, just 0.6% of the 157m checks processed. Besides, 40% of firearms purchases are not from licensed gun-dealers or are at gun shows. And do not require even this background check. That is one change that may well now be made.
纽约市的反枪支市长迈克尔•布隆伯格本周敦促奥巴马立法。如果总统无所作为,布隆伯格注意到将有48000个美国人在奥巴马的第二个任期内被枪支谋杀-是911事件,阿富汗和伊拉克死亡总人数的数倍。将存在的法律更加严格的执行是一个开始。1994年的以在一次暗杀事件中严重受伤的罗纳德•里根的新闻发言人命名的布雷迪法案,引入了有联邦背景的强制购买审查。但是拒绝率非常低,157百万的审查中,只有0.6%的不合格。此外,40%的火器不是从有执照的枪支经销商或者枪支展览会购买。这部分甚至不需要背景检查。目前应该对这一点做出改变。
(原文)本周纽约市反枪市长迈克尔•布隆伯格敦促奥巴马进行立法。布隆伯格指出,如果总统什么都不做,预计将会有接近48,000名美国人在他的第二个任期内被枪杀,是死于“911事件”及阿富汗、伊拉克战场的美国人总数的好几倍。作为开始,可收紧现行的法律。1994年的布雷迪法案要求购买枪支的人事先要通过联邦背景调查(这部法案以罗纳德•里根的新闻发言人的名字命名,他在一次刺杀中受伤严重)。背景调查被否掉的比例非常低,在1.57亿次已完成的调查中只有0.6%未获通过。此外,枪械销量中的40%不是从有执照的经销商购买的,也不是枪展会上购买的,甚至不需要通过这种背景检查。这个问题最好立即纠正。
Marco Rubio, a republic senator from Florida, has called for a study on how to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. This distracts from the main issue of gun control, but it is true that gunmen in recent mass-shootings have indeed been mentally ill. A federal law is already on the books to prevent dangerous mentally-ill people from buying guns. Not all such people are included in national background-check databases, however. The Virginia Tec shooter, who killed 32 people, had recorded problems of that sort which his state did not send to the federal database.
佛罗里达的共和党参议员马科•鲁维奥已经申请就如何不让枪支落入有精神问题的人的手中进行研究。这转移了主流的枪支管制的问题,但是真的,最近的大规模枪杀事件中的枪手确实精神有问题。一个阻止危险的精神病人购买枪支的联邦法律已经载入名册。然而,不是所有的这类人都被包括在国家背景审查数据库。杀害了32人的维吉尼亚州枪手已经记录了类似精神问题,但是他所在的州没有将报告发送到联邦数据库。
(原文)来自佛罗里达州的共和党参议员马可•卢比奥呼吁展开研究,解决如何避免枪支落入心理障碍人士之手的问题。这一呼声分散了对枪支管制主要问题的关注。但是最近几次的大规模枪击事件中的枪手确实都有心理问题。已经有一部联邦法律在阻止危险的心理障碍人士购买枪支。但是并非所有的问题人士都已纳入国家背景检查数据库。比如弗吉尼亚理工大学一案中杀害了32人的的枪手,案发前有记录说明他有精神方面的问题,但相关信息并没有存入联邦数据库。
Adam Lanza, the 20-year old gun-man at Sandy Hook, did not submit himself to a background check. His mother legally bought and owned the Bushmaster and the two other guns that he carried. She was his first victim. He shot her in the face numerous times and took her weapons before he went to the school.
桑迪•胡克的20岁枪手亚当•兰扎没有将他自己的情况提交到背景审查。他的母亲合法的购买和持有枪手携带的毒蛇枪和两个其他的枪支。她是他的第一个受害者。他射击了她的脸很多次并且在他去学校之前拿走了她的武器。
(原文)桑迪胡克枪杀案中的20岁枪手亚当•兰扎从未进行过背景检查。案发时他携带的“大毒蛇”及另外两支枪,是他母亲合法购买和拥有的。她是他枪下的第一个受害者。他朝她的脸部开了数枪,之后带上她的枪去了学校。
Mr. Obama has said he will act within weeks. He should follow the example of America’s friends. In 1996 a massacre in a Scottish school in Dublin killed 16 children and one teacher. The next year the private ownership of most handguns was banned in Britain. Also that year John Howard, Australia’s conservative prime minister, ushered in a semi-automatic-weapon ban a fortnight after 35 were killed in a gun massacre in Tasmania. If similar laws had been in effect in Sandy Hook, some of those lost might have survived. Instead, this Christmas, parents are going to funerals for six and seven-year-olds.
奥巴马说他将在数周内行动。他将效仿美国盟友的做法。1996年发生在都柏林的苏格兰式学校的大屠杀杀害了16个学生和一个教师。第二年英国禁止了私人持有的大部分手枪。同样是那年澳大利亚的保守派首相约翰•霍华德宣布了一个半自动武器禁令,就在35人被杀的塔斯马尼亚枪支大屠杀后的第14天。如果类似的法律在桑迪•胡克执行了,那些逝去的生命可能会存活下来。取而代之的是,这个圣诞节,父母们将为了那些5,6岁的小孩到葬礼去度过。
(原文)奥巴马表示将在几周内采取行动。他应该向美国的友邦学习。1996年,苏格兰邓布兰学校发生大屠杀,16名儿童和一名老师遇害。次年英国禁止私人持有大部分型号的手枪。同年澳大利亚有35人在塔斯马尼亚的枪杀案中被害,仅两周之后,保守党首相约翰•霍华德就促成了一项半自动武器禁令的通过。如果类似的法律已在桑迪胡克生效,一些遇害者也许能幸免于难。可惜没有,导致今年圣诞节这些父母得给他们六七岁的孩子举行葬礼。

你可能感兴趣的:(Evil beyond imagining)