Cannot stop scourge

Here, in the most advanced and powerful nation on earth, we have a serious defect. In this bastion of freedom dedicated to justice for all, we cannot stop the shootings in our nation’s schools.

We are a nation of laws, not of men. When our leaders are asked to do something— anything—to rid our cities, towns or hamlets of this killing scourge, they have shown great “concern,” offered their “thoughts and prayers,” but failed to act. Some of them say that the law, our Constitution, the Second Amendment, and the right to bear arms prevent them from acting to limit the ownership of guns of the types of weapons available for sale. If that is the case, the Second Amendment must be viewed as a flawed one. It was written to ensure we could have a properly armed militia and to have reasonable means to protect our homes and families. It was never meant to deny us the ability to deal with the challenges we must face today. We have made changes to our Constitution in the past, a very cumbersome process. That approach can be avoided with a more modern interpretation of “the right to bear arms.”

The gun lobby and the gun manufacturers will resist any action that could negatively affect their profit margin even in the slightest way. Of course, the NRA will resist any and all restrictions on gun design, use and ownership.

We as a people love and want to protect our children; as a society, we love our guns. With responsible gun regulation we can have both.

Please contact your representatives in Washington to address this issue. To do nothing is to say we are content with the status quo and are powerless— powerless— to stop the killing of our schoolchildren.

BILL FARRELL

Bella Vista