Letter to Collins and Snowe on Gun Control
An opinion

by Kimber

I am a citizen of the state of Maine. As such I thought I would take this opportunity to voice my opinion over this upcoming gun legislation. I am sick to death of listening to these "guns don't kill people, people kill people" arguments. To use a recent example, if mentally ill, angst ridden teenagers went off the deep-end with a knife or a baseball bat I guarantee you that those 15 people wouldn't be dead today. People kill people with guns! If the gun lobby can figure out some way to cure mental illness or end society's fascination with violence or guarantee that only law abiding mentally healthy people will buy and use guns then by all means let's open the flood gates and let them sell all the guns they want. However, in view of the fact that everyone seems to be taking the position that "I don't know how to solve the problem all I know is it's not my fault" and leaving it at that, it would then fall to you, the legislators, to take the lead in this and protect those people you are sworn to serve. And that means at least slowing the stream of guns that are manufactured and reach the general populace.

I am the mother of a 6 ½ month old son and my husband is currently studying to be a high school history teacher. It distresses me to hear Charlton Heston and other members of the gun lobby saying that the answer to the problem of school shootings is to arm the teachers. I don't want my son ending up in the crossfire of an armed conflict in his school anymore than I want my husband to be. I also don't want my husband being asked to shoot down one of the children he has been trying to help and teach. I don't think you will find many teachers willing to do that. I can't believe that there are people willing to ask it of them. I can't believe that there are people today, in view of all of the violence in the schools, asking to make it an even more violent place. I can't imaging what those children in Colorado are going through but I also can't imagine that it would have made them feel much better to see those two boys shot down in front of them by a teacher.

Help me as a parent make my son's world a little bit safer. I don't want to home school my child. I can't afford it and I don't think it should be the answer. The second amendment to the constitution, if I remember correctly, doesn't give every citizen in the country the right to bear arms, just the standing militia of the states. (Which is a whole other kettle of fish I won't get into here.) Everyone in the country doesn't need to buy one gun a month let alone six or however many they are currently allowed to buy. It's ridiculous. And I know you've heard this argument before but you don't need a semi-automatic assault rifle to shoot Bambi. Really, the deer aren't armed. Men were hunting deer long before guns were invented and the human race didn't starve to death.

I think a little common sense is called for here. Please be the voice of reason in government on this issue.