This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On April 17, the Republicans (and four Democrats) in the U.S. Senate hit rock bottom when they filibustered legislation that was supported by a majority of senators to implement universal background checks on gun sales. This in the face of all the mass shootings and daily killings in our country.
Why did these 46 senators vote down this simple legislation that had nothing to do with the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms? Because that's just who they are. Either you have common sense, concern for safety and basic ethics, or you don't.
Many like to say the real problem is mental illness. Well, thanks to these toadies of the National Rifle Association, right now, somewhere, a mentally ill person is buying a gun without a background check.
When (not if) that person shoots someone, these senators will have innocent blood on their hands. That includes our own spineless senators, Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee.
What is wrong with these people?
Jeff Flanders
Moab