Dear People of the NRA,
I have a few questions for you. Please don't take offence to any of this, as I am writing to you as a mother and a teacher. Why do you believe it's OK to make guns available to everyone? There is only one purpose to use a gun -- that is to kill a human being or an animal. In my mind, they are both huge offenses.
Guns are created to kill and laws are supposed to be made to protect people and govern actions that are allowed in a democratic society. Why, then, do you guys push for "gun laws," which basically means "to give someone the right to kill," in my opinion?
Don't you have families? Doesn't it bother you when you read about gun violence in schools and colleges? I know that you have to run your businesses, but have you ever thought of what happens when people who don't know how to use these guns get a hold of them?
In our society, parents and teachers are usually the first people that children feel comfortable and safe with, and so we have a great responsibility. When you put guns and rifles in the hands of people who are not mentally stable or who are underage, you make our jobs more difficult. Our children feel unsafe in their own schools and homes. If you look at the map above, you will see what I'm talking about.
On June 10, a school shooter attacked Reynolds High School in Portland, Oregon. This is the 15th school shooting since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
My question to you is this: Do our children deserve this? I was talking to an acquaintance who didn't agree with my view on gun control and they said, "Well people can die in natural disasters too." My answer to that is that as parents, we send our kids to schools thinking they are safe. Natural disasters can't be avoided, but gun deaths can. We trust these educational institutions, whether they are elementary schools or universities, and then you, Mr. NRA, put guns in the hands of people who aren't mentally stable enough to know the difference between killing human beings and hunting for ducks. (Which, if you ask me, isn't right either)
As a teacher, I can't even comprehend the impact school shootings have on these children. The trauma and devastation it causes, not just to the ones who physically witness the shooting, but the ones that are watching it on TV. Our nation that works so hard to make sure we live in a safe environment is tormented because our gun controls laws aren't strict enough? We send our military overseas to make sure we are safe, yet we allow this epidemic of gun violence to increase.
I believe that humans were put on this earth to live in peace and harmony, not to kill each other. The impact of these guns in schools, in my opinion, will cause long-term negative effects on our children. We used to have fire drills and earthquake drills; now we have lockdown drills.
You say on your website that "The National Rifle Association is America's longest standing civil rights organization"; can I please ask you how? How can you call it a Civil Rights Organization, when so many innocent civilians die every year because of the misuse of these guns?
All I'm saying is that don't just think of making money selling these guns to the wrong people. Think about the larger impact on the world. Parents are losing children, children are losing their families and friends are losing friends and siblings. Is this really OK to you? Do you want our children to grow up with a sense of insecurity? We say we are the land of the brave, are we allowing our next generation to be brave or are we making them feel insecure and unsure of their surroundings.
Thanks,
A concerned mom