With each mass shooting in the US, social media has a tendency to surface commentary about the ongoing gun debate. The aftermath of the gut-wrenching attack in Orlando [1], FL, was no different. Take this post, for example:

It's true that women seeking abortions will have a more difficult time receiving one in this country than if they wanted to buy a gun. And yet, some of our country's lawmakers have continued to wage an unnecessary war against abortion access [4] . . . as if deciding you are not able to raise a child is more dangerous than purchasing a weapon designed to obliterate [5] as many people as possible. While the unattributed quote comparing the process of obtaining a gun and an abortion has circulated for over a year [6], it has reappeared on my timeline in multitudes in recent days.

What does it say about our country that a woman who might even require an abortion for her safety has to jump through more legal hoops than a malevolent person attempting to purchase a gun? The disparity between the legal red tape you have to pass to purchase a gun versus to receive an abortion is shameful, really. Picture a United States where buying a gun is half as difficult as receiving an abortion. That country of our dreams seems infinitely more rational than the one we presently reside in.