Letter: Repudiate the National Rifle Association and demand common-sense laws for gun ownership
Letter: Repudiate the National Rifle Association and demand common-sense laws for gun ownership
The National Rifle Association was founded shortly after the Civil War by Union officers disturbed by the poor gun skills of the troops they had commanded in battle. As such, it was perceived as a mainstream and civic-minded organization working at common purposes with local and national governments.
The NRA’s first involvement in politics was positive when it endorsed two major gun control laws — the National Firearms Act and the Federal Firearms Act — in the 1930s.
Since the 1960s, the NRA has become more and more radicalized. It now seems to oppose most common-sense gun control legislation. Today, the message is to make deadly weapons available everywhere, with minimal control over their distribution. Anytime some angry or mentally deranged person shoots fellow citizens, the NRA response is that if the victims were armed, they could have defended themselves.
Gun violence will always be with us, but the U.S. public needs to repudiate the NRA’s current vision and demand common-sense laws for gun ownership. The possession of guns should be a privilege after training and examination, with a licensing process that could screen out at least some of the unfit people wanting to own guns.
Bill Petrie
Richland
This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Letter: Repudiate the National Rifle Association and demand common-sense laws for gun ownership."