Stephen King has a pure and simple no-nonsense answer about just what it’s going to take to ensure that mass shootings, like the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two adults died in a hail of bullets, won’t happen again, Uproxx reports. It’s a sensible answer, especially since the 18-year-old shooter had virtually no trouble buying two assault rifles right after his birthday.

King’s answer is a short one that cuts through the Republican “thoughts and prayers” nonsense and other attempts at deflecting the issue, such as when an insulted Sen. Ted Cruz stormed out of an interview while avoiding hard questions about gun control. Then there’s Texas governor Greg Abbott who couldn’t believe Beto O’Rourke would have the temerity to call him out for doing nothing to stop deadly shootings. These types of conversations are of vital importance but Republicans are so deeply embedded with the gun lobby, that inevitably, nothing of any real consequence happens. King notes that the only way for positive change to happen is to get rid of these gun-supporting politicians.

“If the gun protectors in Congress are voted out, things may change,” King tweeted. “If they retain their seats, nothing will change.”

If the gun protectors in Congress are voted out, things may change. If they retain their seats, nothing will change.
Pretty simple.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 26, 2022

King is definitely not wrong. After all, as I wrote earlier, those who benefit from the largesse of the NRA, like Mitt Romney, who has received more than $13 million in donations from the organization, aren’t going to return that money. The Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence has compiled a huge list of senators who profit from the gun lobby.

King has always been upfront about his own gun ownership and after the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting wrote an essay titled Guns in response to the tragedy. He has made it more than clear that he believes semi-automatic weapons need to be banned and called out how easy it is to purchase them.

But despite King’s wise words, the GOP in Oklahoma is doing everything it can to make it easier to purchase guns.

And yes, Sudafed has been trending on Twitter, because as Uproxx notes it can be considerably more difficult to buy over-the-counter cold medications than it is to purchase a gun.

Can I get 2 boxes of Sudafed?

Sorry sir, by law you're only allowed to buy one

OK, just the one box of Sudafed & these 7 guns.

Ok great!

— Herb Kirkstreit (@THE_OSU) May 25, 2022

The NRA, craven as always, still plans to go ahead with its pre-planned conference in Houston this week, where Donald Trump will speak. And yes, Ted Cruz plans to attend. But wait, there won’t be any guns allowed while Trump speaks.

Oh, and before I forget — there’s one other thing you can do to ensure those gun lobby worshipping fleas are kicked out of office: The NRA grades politicians based on their support of the gun lobby. If a politician receives an “A+” grade it means they are beholden to the NRA and the gun manufacturers. If a candidate gets an “F,” well, that’s the candidate for you. So do your research. This is one way we can help put a stop to mass shootings so that there will never be another Columbine, Sandy Hook, or Robb Elementary School shooting again.