Sadly, Saturday €™s tragedy was both predictable and inevitable. Insurrectionist rhetoric-which posits that the Second Amendment gives  individuals  the right to take violent action when they believe that our government has become €œtyrannical €-was once confined to the dark corners of gun shows and the Internet. In today €™s America, however, it has become a €œmainstream € idea that is widely promoted by movement conservatives, high-profile media figures, and even elected officials and candidates. Tucson was  not  unique-since the conservative wing of the Supreme Court embraced the insurrectionist idea in the  D.C. v. Heller  decision in 2008, there have been numerous threats and acts of violence against government officials.

Additionally, America €™s weak gun laws continue to allow individuals who are obviously deranged to  legally  purchase semiautomatic firearms with high-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Jared Lee Loughner €™s history of mental illness, substance abuse and violent threats was well-known to law enforcement, the U.S. Army and his educators at Pima Community College. None of this, however, was detected by an instant, computerized background check that takes just a few minutes and involves no actual  investigation  of the gun purchasers.

If we are to avoid future massacres, our elected officials must institute policies that prioritize public safety and human life over gun industry profits. And they must speak out in no uncertain terms against poisonous insurrectionist ideology that threatens the integrity of our democracy itself.

The  Coalition to Stop Gun Violence  seeks to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement and effective policy advocacy.