This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

With all the mass shootings going on in the U.S. right now, you would think our government could make the right decisions on gun control. Wrong.

Our government seems incapable of just banning guns, and it's not their fault. It's the National Rifle Association's.

The NRA pays off politicians — usually Republicans, as they already have these ideals — to shut down any bill that limits guns. They have managed to get all these people in America on board with "it's my Second Amendment right."

But did the founding fathers write that when there were semi-automatic machine guns and Carly Fiorina more or less prompting attacks at abortion clinics around?

No, they didn't, and I guarantee those laws would be different if they knew what we know now. There is literally no downside to banning guns. Yes, we will still be safe. We have a top-notch military, and, no, President Obama is not trying to take over America and get rid of guns. The NRA doesn't even believe that, but if it makes them money, they want you to believe it and go buy guns and an NRA membership.

Sam Fenwick

Salt Lake City