I’m a gun owner. We need better gun laws to protect children.
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NRA in Houston
Regarding “What the NRA is doing to rebuild its membership in Texas and beyond,” (April 15): As the National Rifle Association prepared for its 155th Annual Meeting in Houston this weekend, its director of public affairs proudly proclaimed that the organization is “more focused now than we have ever been on judiciously spending every member dollar to advance the Second Amendment.”
Perhaps a noble cause on its face, but not when it’s at odds with our guaranteed right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In truth, the NRA, with its close ties to the firearm industry, is doubling down on the failed policies and extremism that has made gun violence the number one killer of children and teens in this country. Republicans and Democrats alike are tired of worrying about gun crime every time their kids leave the house.
Today’s NRA is out of step with many responsible gun owners, who, like me, no longer support its current priorities which place gun sales ahead of gun safety.
As an avid hunter and NRA-accredited instructor, I know my Second Amendment rights are not undermined by background checks, safe storage and red-flag laws. These are safety standards that protect our communities and uphold our rights.
Until the NRA takes a long, hard look in the mirror to reckon with how its extremism is fueling violence in our communities, it will continue to alienate the many gun owners who favor sensible gun safety laws that can stop preventable tragedies.
The Second Amendment can and should work hand in hand with commonsense gun safety laws that save lives.
Gun museum
Regarding “Why doesn’t Houston have a world-class gun museum? “ (April 17): The NRA has tried to preserve the heritage of firearms, and there are a few small museums in Texas where we can view many of the guns that were used in Texas under six flags. My lovely wife and I have proudly been “life members” for years. It is wonderful that there is an NRA event in Houston this weekend.
Many citizens have firearms, handed down through the years, and I have known patriots who have small collections. I know a gentleman who built a vault the size of a double garage, with a repurposed older steel door from a bank demolition, inside a metallic building to secure his collection of firearms.
I know of several homes where there are large gun safes, typically positioned in larger garages, where the collections are preserved. In my hometown, there was a used car dealer who, in the 1970s, showed me the Thompson .45-cal submachine gun he proudly owned.
How can there be a museum of these historic tools representing our national heritage when the progressive leaders at every level of government endeavor to seize and destroy them, it seems, at every opportunity?
The media never seems to question the arguments used by the “gun-grabbers” to subvert the Second Amendment and destroy firearms with more vigor than the book-burning “Firemen” in Fahrenheit 451.
One should counter the argument with, “If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words and cars drive drunk.”
All of us should be outraged that we live in a country that routinely subjects our kids to such unimaginable violence. Our children have no option but to trust us to keep them safe, but our country is failing them every day. Both Congress and Baton Rouge have a moral duty to do better. Our leaders must act — now.
