The terrible shooting at an El Paso, Texas, shopping mall is yet another reminder that there are far too many people in this country who are mentally imbalanced and should never own a weapon.

Since the Columbine HS shooting in 1999 our country has seen many more mass shootings that have taken scores of lives and injured scores more. Congress continues to lollygag instead of earnestly addressing this very serious and increasingly violent issue.

The NRA has a huge stranglehold on Congressional members; that stranglehold must be broken immediately. The Second Amendment guarantees the right to own a gun but does not give individuals the right to wantonly shoot, kill and injure innocent people.

John Amato, retired