Collin College Farmersille Fall

 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

SFOT 2024

0 Comments

Related News

2024 trip prices far from magical

2024 trip prices far from magical

Photo by Ricardo Guzman, Pixabay As we left Ashdown, Arkansas, in my mom’s 1971 Buick Electra 225 Limited, my mom turned to my dad and asked, “Jimmy, are you sure we have enough money?” He responded, “Well, Mary. If four hundred dollars isn’t enough to spend two weeks...

read more
Iceboxes are cool

Iceboxes are cool

Columnist John Moore has an ice box that's been in his family for a long time. One that still works if he ever needs it. Courtesy John Moore The fridge. Frigerator. Some even called it, “The Frigidaire.” A few decades ago it had many names. Growing up, my family...

read more
The screening process

The screening process

Movies were better in a theater. A theater filled with people. Such was the case before the internet. Before HBO. Before people holed up in their living rooms and away from their neighbors and friends. A time when pay-per-view meant you bought a ticket to watch a...

read more
Scouting for knowledge

Scouting for knowledge

John Moore’s genuine Scouting pocketknife. Courtesy John Moore  I learned a lot from Scouting. Started as a Cub Scout, then joined Webelos, then the Boy Scouts.  Girls and making money took priority over my time around age 14, so I never made Eagle Scout....

read more
The Pioneer Skillet

The Pioneer Skillet

Cast iron skillet used for generations by John Moore’s family that was featured in The Pioneer Woman Magazine. Courtesy John Moore. My momma’s skillet and this columnist are featured in the fall 2017 issue of The Pioneer Woman Magazine. Well, it used to be my momma’s...

read more
A Fair Deal

A Fair Deal

Columnist John Moore’s sister took first place at the county fair with a photo she snapped on a Colorado train trip. Photo courtesy John Moore The photo was taken quickly with little thought of its future impact. It was just one on the 36-count roll of Kodak color...

read more
Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Lying on the deck behind the backseat and staring upward through the rear glass of a Buick gave a kid the perfect view of the sky and clouds. A cloud could look like a bear one moment, and a crocodile the next. Family road trips of the 1960s and 70s obviously did not...

read more
What’s Sop

What’s Sop

Columnist John Moore takes sopping seriously. Courtesy John Moore Southerner’s are big on sopping. We like to sop our biscuits in lots of things. There isn’t much that’s better than sopping a cathead biscuit in gravy. Especially if your mom made both. My mother worked...

read more
Loud and Clear

Loud and Clear

About 40 years ago, my dad gave me a radio. Not just any radio. It is what’s called a farm radio.  According to Texas Co-op Power Magazine, in 1936 just three out of 100 farms had electricity. By the mid-1940’s it was three out of 10. That still left most farm...

read more
Subscribe 300x250 - Love