As a victim of gun violence myself — shot point blank and left for dead in a drive-by shooting some years ago — I’ll admit my perspective likely differs from most gun owners. Nevertheless, as an employee at Everett Community College, the shootings at Umpqua Community College really hit home.
However, instead of mourning the victims, the families and the community devastated by those shootings, and them moving on, I’m urging friends, colleagues and elected officials at every level to stand up for commonsense gun safety measures:
Mandatory gun locks,
Controls on high-capacity magazine clips,
A background check and registration for all gun purchases.
None of those measures ought to be opposed by responsible gun owners. Gun locks mean fewer accidental shootings and suicides. If you’re a hunter or shooting enthusiast, you don’t need a 30-shot clip. And if we’re required to buy a license to keep a pet cat in the house, why should deadly weapons be handled differently?
We need to support the victims of gun violence. We also need to do more than stand silently in sorrow, awaiting the next mass murder.
Dan Murphy
Everett
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