On Sept. 11, 2001, 3,000 people were killed in an unspeakable act of violence. Further horrifying is the fact gun violence kills 100 people every day in the United States, resulting in more than 36,000 deaths per year.
We must come together and be mindful of the ongoing toll gun violence takes on survivors, families and emergency workers every day, just as those families and first responders from 9/11 continue to suffer.
The Second Amendment refers to the right of people to bear arms. However, that right does not include the right to slaughter innocent people with assault rifles. What about “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?”
Citizens have the right to enjoy outdoor music in Brooklyn, Dayton or Las Vegas without being mowed down by high-powered rifles. Parents have the right to take their children school shopping at Walmart or to food festivals without worrying about their kids getting shot.
Neighborhoods should not be held hostage by guns on their streets. Students have the right to attend school without the burden of gun violence.
We need national leaders with the courage and conviction to end the corrupt control the National Rifle Association maintains over politicians. Please, join with organizations such as the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action/Everytown for Gun Safety, Gabby Giffords’ Courage to Fight Gun Violence or the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and end this horror.
Cynthia Mahoney
Florence