Toxic trio | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Why is the United States considered the most violent of any advanced nation? The answer is simple. The nation has been hoodwinked by gun manufacturers, the National Rifle Association and the Republican Party, which conspired to flood the nation with guns now numbering 300 million, more than half the guns in the world.

First, the trio created optimum conditions for gun violence, then insisted the only defense was carrying a concealed weapon.

A rich and depraved gun industry, a gun-addicted NRA and a dim, anti-science GOP that fails to grasp the fundamental of cause and effect, basically control the nation's gun policy that produces 100,000 dead and wounded every year.

Where is the voice of religion? Unfortunately, it is either too timid or completely silent in defending the commandment "Thou shalt not kill," leaving the greedy, the addicted, and the morally and mentally deficient in charge. Yet, Americans have every right to be as free from gun violence as the Canadians, Japanese, French, Germans, British, and yes, even the Chinese.

The most important function of government is to provide security for its citizens, but the toxic trio is not about to let that happen.

Ron Molen

Salt Lake City