Last week’s paper contains an interesting letter from Tony Morettini, our esteemed Highland neighbor, pleading with the public to take immediate action about gun control issues and an editorial by Arlene Violet concerning the same subject.

Like the coronavirus, mass murders and school shootings have become a deadly epidemic, but only here in the USA.

As Tony so aptly points out, the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution was never intended to provide unrestricted access to gun ownership irrespective of the type of weapon or its potential to do public harm.

Arlene Violet’s suggestion that a biometric trigger lock activated by fingerprints would be a helpful to restrict access to guns is unworkable. This would only help the firearms manufacturers to sell more guns, now equipped with new government-mandated gadgetry. The NRA will celebrate.

Other advanced countries have instituted simple measures to keep their citizenry safe. These include a Federal registry for all firearms, (new or existing) a 28-day waiting period for all new permit holders before obtaining a firearm; a federal ban on sales of all military grade assault weapons as existed here some years ago; regulations concerning private storage of firearms and ammunition and regulations on sale of multi bullet magazines; plus extended prison sentences for infringement of federal firearms regulations.

Our only real hope still seems to be the election of a Democratic Congress in 2024 who will perhaps earn their salaries and keep our kids safe, and god-willing, the election of Beto O’Rourke to the governorship of Texas. Beto (may he succeed) is the only US politician with an unequivocal and realistic position on assault weapons. That could perhaps start some real things happening, perhaps even the banishment of the NRA.

George Burman
Highland Road
Bristol