WASHINGTON:
The Sikh Americans today joined US President Barack Obama in urging the
lawmakers to pass laws to curb gun violence in the United States.
Several eminent members of the Sikh and Hindu community were invited to
the White House to attend an event wherein Obama reiterated his call to
the Congress to urgently pass the gun control laws, so as to curb the
recent spike in shooting incidents in the country.
"It is important that we, people inspired by our faiths, must work
towards making our society safe and sound for all people and especially
for our children. The measures which keeps guns out of the hands of
criminals and people with severe mental illness is something which
should be supported by all and we urge the congress to take the lead,"
Rajwant Singh, chairman of Sikh Council on Religion and Education
(SCORE), said after the White House event.
Singh attended the
event along with a delegation of Sikh leaders, including Prabhjot Singh
Kohli, chairman of Guru Nanak Foundation of America (GNFA); Amarjeet
Singh Sandhu, an official of Gurdwara Sant Sagar in Burtonsville,
Maryland, and Guransh Singh, a Churchill High School student.
Siva Subramanian from the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Maryland also present.
"We, four members of the Sikh community, represented half a dozen
members in a shootout at a Gurudwara in Wisconsin on 5th August 2012.
This was a great tragedy for all the Sikhs in America and we feared that
if this does not stop here, there is a possibility of more such
tragedies in other gurudwaras and other places in America. So we are
actively supporting the control of guns going in the wrong hands," said
Prabhjot.
In his remarks, Obama expressed his frustration at the
lack of action by lawmakers and made a forceful plea to remember the
horror of the December massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. and to take steps aimed at preventing future gun violence.
"Less than 100 days ago that happened, and the entire country was
shocked. The entire country pledged we would do something about it and
that this time would be different. Shame on us if we've forgotten. I
haven't forgotten those kids," Obama said.
"This is the country's
best chance in more than a decade to take common-sense steps to pass
laws that will save lives from gun violence," Obama said.
with thanks : Times of India : LINK
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