The recent shooting tragedies have once again begun the call for stricter gun control laws, which I support.
The Founding Fathers of this nation and the writers of the Constitution could not have envisioned what the world of guns would be like in the 20th and 21st centuries. In the 1700s, guns were needed for protection and food. As many of us have read, the colonists were required, as part of the militia, to have their own guns. So, yes, citizens of that time were given the right to "keep and bear arms."
The Constitution is a living document that has been, and continues to be, amended when necessary. It's time to seriously address the Second Amendment of the Constitution in light of 21st-century realities.
It's also time to force our representatives in Congress to seriously address the issue of the proliferation of guns - from handguns to automatic weapons - and to put the National Rifle Association out of the lobbying picture. Newspapers around the country should publish the names of each member of Congress who receives any benefit from the NRA and the dollar value of that benefit. Maybe by publicly shaming our legislators they will turn their backs on the NRA and do what's right for this country and future generations.
Michael Nye
Maui Meadows
