In the United States, a school shooting has occurred on average every four days in 2014, according to the website allgov.com. What an alarming statistic! If a species cannot protect its young – its future – does anything else really matter?

We regulate the safety features of our cars. We regulate the right to drive and the driver’s condition when operating a vehicle, because, when driven recklessly or irresponsibly, a car becomes a weapon. We regulate very little when it comes to guns. Is this because cars had not been invented when the Second Amendment was drafted?

The societal and environmental factors that influenced the creation of the Second Amendment – the justification provided for limitless access to guns – have changed significantly.

The majority of us – and yes, I think we are a majority – who believe that the gun issue should be reviewed through the lens of our modern reality, must no longer be bullied by a powerful few with money.

We must demand that our legislators do their jobs and work toward breaking the record-setting trend in violent shootings. Not doing so imperils each and every one of us in our workplaces, movie theaters and shopping malls. More tragically, it puts the lives of our children, in our schools, at risk every single day.

Trish Brigham

Cape Elizabeth

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