After July 4 parade shooting, gun talk must turn to action

Aiden McCarthy, age 2½, had a question:

“Are Mommy and Daddy coming soon?”

That’s what he asked his grandfather after a day that began amid the joy of celebrating a parade with his parents and ended with the horror of being bloodied and alone.

Aiden’s parents, Irina and Kevin McCarthy, sadly aren’t coming soon. They were among the seven people killed in a mass shooting that wounded dozens more during the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Now Aiden is orphaned, to be cared for by his grandparents and a larger community that already has raised more than $2 million for him and his family.

Could Aiden’s story finally be the one to break us all? Could the image of a bloodied little boy, saved only because his parents shielded him from the danger, convince even the staunchest of gun rights advocates that more must be done?

Have you had enough yet?

There’s still much we don’t know about Monday’s massacre, about how alleged gunman Robert Crimo III legally obtained his military-style weapons even after a history of threats of violence and the confiscation of 16 knives, daggers and a sword in 2019, and about why he planned the attack and sprayed more than 70 rounds, sending revelers running for their lives and leaving more people dead.

We can’t keep having the same conversation — the one that pits even lawful, levelheaded gun owners who would never do what Crimo allegedly did against those fighting for stricter regulations — without coming to some consensus.

Most of us, gun owners or not, are reasonable and empathetic. Most of us mourn for Aiden and his family and would recognize the Highland Park shooting for what it is — a horrific tragedy we must prevent. Even the most ardent of responsible gun owners should recognize that protecting their rights shouldn’t come at the cost of enabling and protecting bad actors who destroyed many lives in Buffalo, Uvalde, Highland Park and elsewhere in just the last two months.

Enforcing existing laws is key. But it can’t stop there. Last week, the New York State Legislature quickly passed and Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a set of significant gun regulations to govern how New York handles concealed carry permits. That should slow the process of purchasing guns, limit where guns can be carried, and provide reassurance that the state will not turn into a frightening free-for-all.

But that’s clearly not enough. Nor is recently passed federal legislation. That’s where universal background checks, a high-capacity magazine ban and, perhaps most important, renewed support — including from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — for a restored assault weapons ban, comes in. Banning assault weapons won’t be easy and will require tweaks and specifics, but it’s a huge part of stopping the carnage.

For Aiden, for his parents, for the schoolchildren and grandparents and so many others, enough is enough.