So now we know. The Lewiston, Maine, shooter had serious mental issues so, had he not killed himself, he could have been disarmed. Of what comfort is this to the 18 people he shot to death and the dozen plus people who now have bullet holes in them?

In Maryland, a judge was killed by a man who had received an unfavorable ruling. In Florida, two were shot dead and another 18 injured at a party. One shooter is dead, another arrested. Of what comfort is this to the dead or their surviving relatives and friends?

These recent murders are connected by a central feature of modern American life: just about anyone can get any type of gun. The data is clear: more guns lead to more gun violence and more death.

In 2016, the West Virginia Legislature passed, over the veto of then-Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and the objection of the West Virginia Sheriffs’ Association, a bill allowing adults to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. West Virginia University researchers published a study in the American Journal of Public Health finding that since the passage of that bill, gun deaths were about 26% more frequent in West Virginia.

Gordon Smith, the senior author of the study, told Mountain State Spotlight, “if you make guns more available, then people are more likely in explosive situations to pull out a gun and shoot somebody.”

This is hardly a surprising observation. Story after story about shootings recount that a shooting grew out of a heated argument where one or more participants in the dispute drew a gun and fired.

Mental illness is not the culprit. Mental illness accounts for only 4 percent of non-suicide shooting deaths, according the American Medical Association.

Neither the Second Amendment nor the Supreme Court says every person has an absolute right to own any kind of gun or to carry it in public. It is well past time to stop pretending otherwise.

The argument that no law will stop all gun violence is not a serious argument. Murder has been illegal for 5,000 years, but still occurs. However, we do not repeal laws prohibiting murder just because they aren’t 100% effective.

There are ways guns could be regulated to keep them out of the hands of people prone to violence, while allowing responsible gun ownership. For example, it is possible to manufacture guns which can only be used only by the owner. Insurance and a license could be required of anyone taking a gun off his or her land, much like with automobiles.

The mantra of “thoughts and prayers” has begun. It is meaningless. My Lutheran minister grandfather taught that one should pray like everything depends on the Creator, but act like everything depends on you. The “act” part is especially important.

To do nothing is to acquiesce to more mass murders. Legislation can reduce gun violence while allowing responsible individuals to own and maintain guns.

If politicians are unwilling to act to protect our lives, they should quit.

Garry Geffert, of Martinsburg