Tonight, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama will debate each other in a town hall at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. This time, unlike the other debates, ordinary Americans instead of a national journalist will grill the Presidential candidates about their plans for the next four years.
Many issues will take center stage tonight, and rightly so. The economy is in the tank, America is fighting two wars, and everybody has questions about their retirement security, gas prices, and access to affordable health care. All these issues are of vital importance.
Having said this, I hope that one audience member will stand up and ask both candidates about the 100,000 gun deaths and injuries Americans suffer each year, and what they propose to help reduce this level of violence.
The problem is especially acute in a state like Tennessee.
With some of the weakest gun laws in the country, Tennessee has the second-highest violent crime rate in America. Along with states like South Carolina, Nevada, Louisiana and Florida, Tennessee has been one of most violent states in America since 2000. Tennessee also has the fourth-highest total gun death rate, behind Louisiana, Alaska and Montana. Less often reported is that Tennessee's gun suicide rate is ninth-highest in the country according to the most recent data available. Since 2004, Tennessee's two largest cities - Memphis and Nashville - each have had a violent crime rate higher than Washington, DC.
Since John McCain and Barack Obama are debating tonight in a state with some of America's weakest gun laws, and where gun violence is a grave concern, each candidate should be ready to explain what he will do to help keep dangerous weapons from dangerous people and to help law enforcement protect our communities.
One area both men could explore is their shared position to require criminal background checks for all gun sales at gun shows - known as closing the gun show loophole. Sen. Obama has clearly stated his favorable position on the issue, while Sen. McCain joined Sen. Joe Lieberman to sponsor a bill to close the gun show loophole which passed the Senate in 2000 but failed in the House.
As it happens, the National Rifle Association went ballistic over this bill and called John McCain "one of the premier flag carriers for the enemies of the Second Amendment," showing how out-of-touch the NRA leadership is with Americans on public safety issues.
Both candidates would do the nation a service by addressing the issue of criminal background checks head-on, and talking about what else might make our families and communities less likely to experience some of the 100,000 gun deaths and injuries that Americans suffer every year.
(Note to readers: This entry, along with past entries, has been co-posted on bradycampaign.org/blog and the Huffington Post.)