Over the next decade, approximately 300,000 Americans are going to die because of gun violence. That’s two orders of magnitude more American deaths than the Sept. 11 attacks. Against that yardstick, the American obsession with guns and gun rights is complete insanity.
This, to me, suggests that it’s time for a new NRA: The No Rifle Association. Until and unless gun control organizations start framing the current conversation as existential – the way the current National Rifle Association does – we should accept that we are collectively sentencing 300,000 of our fellow Americans to death over the next 10 years.
Sen. Susan Collins has been a voice of reason on this issue, much to the chagrin of her own party. And I implore Angus King to join her and their fellow senators in developing a common-sense approach to unfettered access to guns in America: mandatory background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, a ban on suppression devices and a ban on armor-piercing bullets.
As a small state, with two senators, we have disproportionate power in this country. Our elected leaders should wield that power to save those 300,000 Americans from a horrible, flesh-shredding death.
Brad Smith, M. Ed.
Cumberland
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.