LETTER: The right to bear arms comes with responsibilities
As of April 19, there have been more mass shootings (170) in America than days in the new year. Week after week, we amass additional evidence of the fear and violence gripping our nation: Two young people are shot for innocently approaching the wrong house; Four dead, 32 injured, at a birthday party.
Where will it end?
Some Republicans and the National Rifle Association believe the answer is escalation — more guns for all! Unfortunately, history has shown that aggressive escalation breeds more violence and death, whether a war between nations, a family feud, or a bullied teen. Gun violence is escalating in our country. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 1 in 5 Americans has been threatened by a gun. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens.
Let’s train, license and background-check gun owners. I need training and licensing to drive a car or boat, and background checks to volunteer with children, so this can be extended to guns.
Let’s ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. They are military tools that have no place in Pennsylvania’s hunting culture.
Let’s support a national gun buyback program to reduce the estimated millions of firearms, many unsecured, in homes and apartments.
Let’s vote for local, state and national politicians who understand that the right to bear arms comes with serious responsibilities.
Only then will I feel safe at a concert, party or store.
Catherine Alloway
Port Matilda