In this tug of war with gun safety legislation, where is an explanation for why the right to have any weapon takes precedence over the safety of our children? A comment by a legislator at the March 7 judiciary hearings underscored this. After listening to testimony about how upsetting it was to watch a young child being passed out a window during a safety drill, he responded by asking if the woman testifying was against gun safety drills.

All of my grandchildren have grown up wondering if they will be the next victim of gun violence. That fear has shaped who they are and how they are able to learn. It has affected the parents of these children and their teachers, and it is exacerbated by the need for drills to be prepared for the possibility. In the midst of this, to ask a parent if they are against these drills is a response that is seated in ignorance, a disregard of children, or a blatant attempt to placate their voter base.

I’m a 70-year-old disabled veteran. I don’t long for the way our country looked in the 1950s or 1960s. I do, however, want my grandchildren and their children to feel that they have the hope of growing up with the same level of security in this terribly violent nation as I did. I urge people to let our legislators know that without doing so, we are condemning our progeny to a life of fear.

Dana Williams
The First Church in Belfast Gun Safety Work Group
Belfast

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