Elected officials must confront scourge of gun violence

Dec. 2 brought news of yet another gun massacre, this time in San Bernardino, Calif., only days after a gunman murdered two civilians and a police officer in a standoff in Colorado.

So far, 14 people have been killed in California, and while the details and motivations of the shooters are not yet clear, the reasons why such an awful attack was possible are all too obvious and familiar.

As news of the attack in California trickled in on Dec. 2, politicians and presidential candidates expressed their sorrow and sympathy with the families of the victims, offering prayers and good wishes.

But this meaningless expression of sympathy does nothing to comfort the families torn apart by this loss of…