Steven Lund and Robert (last name withheld) do their cause and our country no good by demonizing and demeaning those who advocate for improved gun control (“We will not be pushed around,” The Tribune, April 15).
It cannot be denied that too many deranged and cruel individuals have abused their gun rights, causing carnage to innocents, including schoolchildren. That being so, appropriate laws must be enacted, consistent with the Second Amendment, to limit the ability to cause such carnage. One legitimate approach, consistent with the Second Amendment’s reference to “a well-regulated militia,” would be to limit the possession of military weapons to persons enlisted in the military, or in government-run militias, subject to rigorous proficiency training and regular reviews.
This would also be in keeping with the Constitution’s stated purposes to “insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, [and] promote the general Welfare.” Lund’s and Mr. Name-withheld’s selective and narrow reading of the Constitution has little merit — as they reveal by impugning the patriotism of those who read the document more broadly. We can and should have meaningful and mutually respectful debate over this important issue of public safety.
J. Kevin Murphy, Salt Lake City
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