Weapons intended only for war now inflicting casualties on our people

Our founding fathers probably have been turning over in their graves for decades over the lack of unity in Congress. The polarization of the opposing parties was going on long before the current fuel on the fire won in 2016. Like him or hate him, he is the president.

After the Great Mills High School shooting in March, I wrote a letter to the editor in which I said the first school shooting I remember was Paducah, Ky., in 1998. A year later it was Columbine, Colo., where two idiots raised the awareness of what was to come. My son was amazed to learn that there were no school shootings until I was an adult. After the Parkland, Fla., school shooting earlier this year, the surviving students organized and convinced the Florida legislature to amend their state’s firearm’s laws. Then the National Rifle Association sued Florida. I am glad that our state government stood its ground and sided with Florida.

Something needs to change when our own weapons of war are inflicting more casualties on Americans than what they what they were intended to do: Protect our freedom.

It may be hard for some to believe, but our country was founded on our own stubbornness. We wanted freedom. A lot transpired to gain our independence and our constitutional rights.

Six weeks after the Declaration of Independence was signed, 391 Maryland troops gave their lives for our freedom. It was in Brooklyn on Aug. 27, 1776, when the newly minted American Army had its first test. Outnumbered 15,000 to 3,500, there were also 1,000 Hessian mercenaries on the British side, eager to get the bounty for dead Americans. On the field, under Gen. William Smallwood of Charles County were 400 Maryland troops, who turned and attacked the Hessians six times. Nine of our men came out alive. Please read Linda Reno’s book, “The Maryland 400,” for this riveting history lesson, Linda is from Charlotte Hall and immortalized our state’s heroes of the Revolutionary War.

Amazingly, it took until World War II before weapons killed more soldiers than disease. In the Civil War, diarrhea and dysentery killed the most soldiers. In World War I, it was the Spanish flu epidemic that killed 55 percent of our troops — go and look at the memorial to the St. Mary’s County troops in Leonardtown this Sunday for Veterans Day. Seven out of 28 county boys’ deaths were from disease. I believe the steamboats helped our local boys survive by introducing them to the urban germs.

Something needs to change, besides the climate. Please urge your elected officials to help save American lives and put some limits on our Second Amendment.

Thank you to everyone who has ever put on a uniform, be it military or first responder, and happy Veterans Day.

Please don’t forget the annual parade Sunday in Leonardtown at 10 a.m.