A few days ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Active Shooter Alert Act in the wake of yet another mass shooting, this time during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park near Chicago.
The bill is a step in the right direction. It will not solve gun violence in America and may take some time to implement properly. But it could save lives. That is why it garnered support from 43 Republicans and all but one Democrat.
Unfortunately, 168 Republicans — including every member of Colorado’s Republican contingent — voted against the bill. Most claimed the bill would be ineffective and confusing. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, never one to miss an opportunity for bombast, went as far as to characterize the bill as dangerous — “like yelling ‘fire’ in a movie theater, except the fire is in another movie theater across the street.”
Except that is exactly what is happening.
