As we mourn the 17 dead in yet another school shooting, now is the time to talk about gun control.
Like my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, I am a gun owner and support our Second Amendment rights. However, it is inconceivable that anyone who has witnessed the carnage taking place in our schools would not support commonsense gun control.
Our politicians lament, “families need time to grieve” or, “we need all the facts.” More children are murdered in our schools by guns than in any other civilized nation in the world. We allow the purchase of assault weapons, like those used to slaughter 17 in Parkland and 20 first-graders at Sandy Hook.
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, is one of those who refuses to take action to protect our children from gun violence. I call on Herrera Beutler to support legislation that bans the sale of semi-automatic weapons, to support universal background checks and support legislation preventing people who are mentally ill from purchasing weapons. Herrera Beutler should forget about maintaining her A grade from the NRA and take action to protect our children.
If she is not up to the task, then it is time to elect someone who is.
