Americans should choose a less-violent existence

Re: “Friends, family remember victims of Florida shooting,” website, June 12.

My heart breaks that our friends from the south suffer yet another shooting horror. We must stand together in support. But when a good friend has bad breath, it is also kind to let them know.

We hear a great deal about the Second Amendment to their constitution, but no one talks about what it says:

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Considering the context when it was written, a clear-thinking person might understand these rather plain words. But they have been interpreted by U.S. courts to mean that the murderer in Orlando had a right to have the weapons he did.

Surely, the authors did not foresee past a musket in a regulated militia. While Canada is not immune from crazy people with guns, our problems, as are the world’s, are directly linked to the U.S. weapon supply.

As much as our sometimes-narcissistic friends exclaim, they are not about to elect the next “leader of the free world.” No country follows them on any important social issue. They have little to teach and seem slow to learn from the rest of the globe.

Thinking Canadians love these people as our brothers and sisters. When they hurt, we pine as well. But we must protect ourselves from their imperfections so not to further damage our own. The U.S. gun halitosis is global and we should gently remind our friends that they have the power to choose a less-violent existence.

Tom Bulmer Sooke