I'd like to say it out loud: Guns should be banned.

Those who rant that their right to own guns is an issue of freedom are deluded. Having guns doesn't make you free; it just makes you armed. Freedom is a state of mind and a way of living.

When choices are made about guns, I'm tired of the United States running scared from the gun special interests, like the National Rifle Association. We, the people, matter more than the NRA's limited viewpoint. We all deserve to be safe. Our society should act to make it happen.

To those who wield that tired argument that if more people were armed, tragedies like the shooting in Aurora, Colo., could be averted: Wake up! Escalation isn't the answer, prevention is.

The United States should choose to eliminate freely available guns and ammunition. It would benefit us all.

Ellen T. Wilson

Salt Lake City