I own two guns that are nearly as old as I am — 72. I grew up shooting birds with the shotgun, but haven't fired either for decades. I've had enough of Wayne LaPierre, the gun lobby and scores of spineless senators and representatives who bow at their feet — afraid they won't get the next campaign fund check, or worse yet, that the NRA will spread lies about them and fund another candidate to force them out.
I've grown weary of hearing politicians — including Sens. Thune and Rounds and Rep. Noem — talk about the Second Amendment as some absolute right, ignoring the fact that it was written to ensure that men could come forward with their muskets and join "a well regulated Militia" to defend the country if the need arose. When was the last time you heard a politician or the gun lobby cite those first words of the Second Amendment?
I am inspired by the students who survived the most recent school massacre, and by thousands of other young people who have joined them to demand an end to the carnage. I am encouraged to see people across this great nation rise up and shout "no more mass killings! Enough is enough!"
It is past time for sensible regulation of guns, especially the weapons of mass destruction that the gun lobby so loves,and that gun manufacturers who fund the lobby love to sell.
Time to call the greed and dishonesty of the NRA by its true name. I call upon fellow citizens, including fellow gun owners, to make their voices heard. March 24 will be a day of nationwide action to stop gun violence, but every day is a day to exercise our most precious freedom, that granted by the First Amendment, the right to speak!
Jerry Wilson
Vermillion
