Why is no one stating the obvious? The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech — the courts have ruled that that doesn’t give the right to yell “fire” in a crowded theater.
The Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms. It doesn’t guarantee the right to own and use military-grade weapons of mass destruction. Are we permitted to own atomic weapons?
This is now a question of where we as a nation draw the line between “freedom” and “public safety.” Youngsters should not go to school in armed camps. It would teach the wrong lesson about who we expect them to become.
If an armed guard is at the entrance to my school, I don’t feel safe — I am reminded daily that I am in danger. That is not the America I grew up in, or want our children to grow in.
Don’t vote for anyone who takes money from the National Rifle Association, which has proven where it stands as regards public safety.
The legal availability of assault weapons has become an American shame. Every time one is sold — to anyone — it gives that person the power to shout “fire” in a crowded theater.
Public safety must prevail over the egotistical need to have the biggest weapon. We know what that need comes from.
Anne Burton
Amherst