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 Letter to the Editor – Ashley Brimmage

by | Feb 22, 2018 | Opinion

In the wake of the massive spree killing in Parkland Florida, I decided to write my Congressman, John Ratcliffe, to ask if he could support any kind of common sense legislation that would possibly prevent such tragedies. In reply, I received some carefully worded boilerplate that read as if the NRA were telling him exactly what he needed to say. He “sympathizes” with those who have lost loved ones…followed by one giant BUT. “…I do not agree with limiting gun owners’ Second Amendment rights…”

 I believe the Founding Fathers penned the Second Amendment to provide law abiding citizens the freedom to protect their families’ lives and property. I would never be in favor of any legislation that takes away that basic right. Could it be possible, however, that the Founding Fathers were concerned with protecting the right of a mentally deranged teenager to legally own a rapid-fire killing machine whose sole purpose is to increase the body count in a video-game-style onslaught against innocent human beings? It sounds absurd doesn’t it? We live in a 21st century United States that couldn’t even be dreamt of in the 1780’s. It is time for our Congress to find a way to hold true to the spirit of the Second Amendment while enacting some common-sense  legislation regarding what kind of weaponry is legal to own and who should be legally qualified to own it. My Congressman has made it clear to me that he is far more beholden to the NRA than to his own constituency. How many more of these senseless tragedies will it take before our leaders decide to lead? We don’t celebrate forgotten “leaders” who were on the wrong side of history. No national holidays are dedicated to those who fought for the institution of slavery in the 1800’s because they “didn’t want to upset their base.” How refreshing would it be if just a handful of our GOP leaders would stand up, even risk losing an election, in order to get on the right side of history?

 Ashley Brimmage

Farmersville

NTMWD 2025

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