May 4, 2023 at 1:59 p.m.
The definition of 'unconscionable'
Recently I contacted Representative Tiffany after some of his public comments, during which he referred to a proposal by the U.S. Post Office for fewer days of mail delivery weekly as "unconscionable".
Perhaps the exalted place guns have in our country is far more worthy of that adjective.
When the Constitution was written the only weapon available was the musket loader. Our country had a very small population, and the point of the Second Amendment was to be able to form a militia readily, if needed, for the protection of the then very small country. Surely our forefathers could not have had assault weapons in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment.
We now live in the only country in the world with more guns than people. Guns have become the leading cause of death among American children. We are supposedly the most developed country in the world and have to live in fear for the lives of our grade school age grandchildren, who have to endure "active shooter" drills.
Unconscionable. Unnecessary, tragic, heart-breaking deaths from gun violence now occur on a regular basis. We cannot even enact a ban on military grade weapons which exist for one purpose only: to kill as many people as possible in a short time.
The U.S. remains the world's undisputed leader in gun violence. Other countries understand that more guns do not mean safer citizens and have taken effective steps to eliminate this problem. Studies show that households with guns are not safer. Polls show that a majority of Americans favor appropriate restrictions on gun ownership. This does not involve people who use appropriate weapons for purposes such as hunting.
Representative Tiffany sent a very prompt reply. Unfortunately, it did not address any of my concerns. He said that he and I obviously agreed that there needs to be more done to provide mental health help, which was a surprise to me, since I hadn't mentioned that.
Perhaps Representative Tiffany needs more letters from those who feel gun legislation is long overdue. He does not seem to understand that to do nothing about solving our country's gun problem is indeed unconscionable.
Marilyn Norden
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