Thank you for addressing the controversial topic of guns. It is obvious that the authors spent many hours in their research.
I represent another perspective on the issue, being the mother-survivor of a son murdered with a gun. I see the picture of the gun on the front cover, and the cold, hard bullets in the article, and my heart starts beating very fast. I start imagining the brutal death of my 17-year-old son and imagining the bullets piercing the soft flesh of my child’s heart and lung, taking life away from him, as he died without me.
I curse the invention of the gun. The death and heartache caused by guns in war, murder, suicide, and accident is monstrous in scope. In the U.S., 30,000 people a year are currently lost to gun death. Shameful!
Guns are used by people to kill; we have far too many in the hands of the wrong people. Too many guns are suited only for the use of law enforcement and the military. Too many guns have magazines that hold too many bullets.
I am for 100 percent background checks and scrutiny of those issued a federal gun-dealing license. I am against large capacity weapons and magazines. I am for free mental health treatment for all who want or need this help. I am for the teaching and practice of gun safety, especially in homes and the community.
And, finally, the television, video games, and movies depicting killing for entertainment must cease, and our culture must be cleansed of gratuitous violence, becoming a place of harmony and safety for all of us.