We have had the 2nd Amendment since our forefathers had to protect the country from other countries. We had already fought the British for independence, and France and Spain still owned large parts of the continent. Because of this need for a civilian army the 2nd amendment was written to defend our country. It isn’t likely we will be invaded any longer, but most people do not object to the right to bear arms. We must consider though our defenses are many times greater than they were in 1776. We have a standing Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and more. I think the need for civilians to have military weapons is not required.

I have been around guns since I was a child. My father and his two brothers hunted, and when I was in high school I hunted with friends. I had my own shotgun at 15. In the 1960s no one thought they needed a military weapon to protect themselves. After military rifles were taken off the market, I do not understand why the Brady Bill was allowed to lapse in 2004. We seemed to have managed without them for ten years. It is clear that these weapons aren’t the only issue. But to ignore their part in massacres over the last ten years is irresponsible as well. It is obvious that after what happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the students and teachers are saying “never again”, and are justified in their concern.

Even after what these students and teachers have been through they were willing to work with the president and NRA. The NRA over the last 40 years has become progressively more on the offense against any changes to gun laws. I belonged to the NRA many years ago because they were concerned about gun safety, protecting endangered animals, and improving sportsmen’s activities. Now it seems they have few programs for these concerns and are more interested in lobbying against any type of gun safety or reform laws.

They are out of touch to the point it seems they value guns more than human life. Since they are not willing to show any conciliation to any gun laws, it seems we will have to ignore them as well and move forward without their input. The students have started a movement that hasn’t been seen since the civil rights marches of the 1960s. I wish them the best in their endeavors. They are not only our future, they are our conscience. We owe them a chance to live out their lives without constantly worrying about any classroom, concert, or church gathering being attacked with a modified AR-15 or any other military style rifle that is full auto or close to full auto capability. The USA is the number one country in gun related deaths. Help us build a future without being number one in a type of death rate we can make a drastic change to without finding a miraculous cure or removing something entirely from our everyday lives.