To the editor:
I am writing to address the claims brought forth by Mr. Michael Panasuik earlier this week, attempting to rebut the letter of a BHS student like me.
You say that an AR-15 has …
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To the editor:
I am writing to address the claims brought forth by Mr. Michael Panasuik earlier this week, attempting to rebut the letter of a BHS student like me.
You say that an AR-15 has never been used for a murder in Rhode Island. While this may be true, that does not mean that policies related to semi-automatic assault weapons should not be examined. Are we supposed to wait until a life is lost to legislate?
You also say that people committing murder do not care about acquiring their weapon legally. This is not applicable for two reasons. First, a recent study by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police showed that upwards of 79 percent of firearms used in violent crime in the region were obtained legally. (Washington Post). This high majority suggests that people indeed care about acquiring their weapon legally, regardless of other crimes they may be committing. Second, if gun access is restricted, it will prevent people from getting illegal guns, as there will be fewer guns to obtain illegally.
Furthermore, the fact that no BHS student fears for their life is simply not true. You are not a student, I am, as is Mr. Chalue-Feeney, who wrote the original letter. Many students, can, in fact, attest that fear of mass shootings is real, as we have spent time in a high school recently. We have been practicing hiding in corners in the dark since kindergarten. Just because we live in a relatively safe area does not mean that something awful can’t happen. Think of Newtown.
Also, you stated that the perpetrators of mass shootings are “not seventy-one year old guys like me with evil rifles”. Please remember that the awful shooting in Las Vegas last October was committed by a sixty-six year old millionaire with an assault rifle.
Last, I cannot stress enough how unfair it is to blame the victims of a school shooting for not being kind enough. It is a long-standing myth that those who perpetrate school shootings are social outcasts. In fact, this is not the case. Even Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the gunmen at Columbine, in fact had friends though they were portrayed as bullied outcasts. (Cause of Columbine). Simply being kind is not likely to help someone who has such severe problems.
As people who legally have few rights to prevent gun violence due to our age, it is up to adults to protect us by keeping dangerous people from getting guns.
Thank you,
Clara Kugler
Barrington