Why It Should Be Just As Hard To Get A Gun As It Is To Get Cold Medicine

In the current debate about gun violence, the weapon manufacturers’ lobby has pushed the myth that the federal government has no role to play in stemming the tide of gun violence. In reality, it is the federal government’s responsibility to enact common-sense measures to protect its citizens. In fact, such measures have already been established for items as seemingly innocuous as cold medicine — but similar measures to regulate guns have faced a politicized battle, funded and led by the gun manufacturing lobby with little regard for the safety of civilians.

In 2006, then President George W. Bush signed the Combat Meth Act as part of the Patriot Act. The purpose of this legislation is to track and prevent potential drug manufacturers from obtaining pseudoephedrine, a common treatment of nasal congestion, but also a key ingredient for manufacturing meth. The act contains three key provisions:

1. A person is limited in how much pseudoephedrine he or she can purchase per month.

2. Retailers must keep personal information about these customers for at least two years after the purchase of these medicines.

3. Information for the purchase logbook must be verified against the photo ID, and recorded along with the amount of medication purchased.