Editorial: Congress should address gun control

The recent shootings across the nation, including the Columbine High massacre and the day-trader rampage in Atlanta, demonstrated again the need for gun control legislation. The most recent incident adding to this tragic list includes Tuesday's shooting in Los Angeles, where a white supremacist allegedly shot five people -- including children -- in a Los Angeles Jewish community center and then soon thereafter, federal prosecutors say, he shot to death a postal worker; the gunman eventually surrendered Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Hate seems to be inextinguishable, but this doesn't mean that common sense restrictions shouldn't be pursued on the purchase of those weapons that inflict deadly harm on the innocent. When Congress returns from its August recess it should immediately take up the reasonable restrictions the Senate passed -- but the House defeated -- that would close the loopholes in existing law that allow felons and other dangerous individuals to purchase firearms. Congress cannot shirk its responsibility in addressing this epidemic of violence.

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