There’s precedent for unlikely change

Roberta Newman, Las Vegas

Monday, March 4, 2013 | 2 a.m.

There was a time we could smoke everywhere, including movie theaters, airplanes and the supermarket. Then the surgeon general’s report came out and told us cigarettes will kill us. We were told that the tobacco industry was too big and the only thing we possibly could get was a label warning us of the danger.

Now, smokers have to search for an area that allows smoking.

We listened, we acted and we did it.

There was a time we could drink and drive. Even if we were pulled over, we would just get a stern warning. After many accidents and deaths, especially among teenagers, Mothers Against Drunk Driving was formed.

Now people receive tickets, have their licenses’ revoked and can receive a jail sentence. Bartenders now can refuse to serve you if you seem inebriated. We have designated drivers.

We listened, we acted and we did it.

Now we are told that the ban on assault weapons is impossible. The National Rifle Association is so powerful it will never let it happen. The only thing possible is a universal background check, and even that is not a sure thing.

When you picture a 6-year-old so riddled with bullets that their body is torn apart, you know we will listen, we will act and we will do it.