GUNS: Don't let NRA bully you

Thirty people will die today in this country from gun violence. Thirty people will die tomorrow from gun violence, and the next day, and the next day forever. Armed guards in our schools, is this the best the NRA can come up with? Apparently we would also need armed crossing guards to protect the kids walking to school, armed parents to escort them through the neighborhoods, and snipers on the top of the press box during football games.

There’s no end to the danger because the NRA has been so successful in drowning our country with guns. Between the false hysteria they whip up about gun confiscation and the fantasy they promote about ordinary people possibly saving the day, they continue to do a huge disservice to our country. It’s like a tire store throwing roofing nails on the road. Unfortunately, we aren’t talking about a pile of blown-out tires here.

Does anyone really believe that an ordinary citizen, armed, in the most emotionally charged moment of their life, could effectively use a gun without being shot and killed themselves, or without harming an innocent person? If an armed teacher killed a first-grader accidentally during a gun battle, could anyone ever call it collateral damage?

Why are we letting the NRA stop us and our gutless politicians from even trying to do something? Why has it become such a partisan issue? Do conservatives really need to use this issue and the associated carnage to further their agenda? Although it is reassuring to know Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity might be nearby to come to the rescue.

This is a monumental problem. Solutions are obvious without infringing on anyone’s rights. Better control all gun purchases so only the best among us own guns. There has to be a way to bring ourselves back from the brink. By the time I pick up the Coeur d’Alene Press tomorrow morning, another dozen people will be dead in this country. This must be what rock bottom looks like.

JIM SPURR

Coeur d’Alene