By Diana Vance

Monroe

To the Editor:

I think the only way we can get several Republicans in the Senate to vote for safer gun law is to reveal they are lining their pockets with millions of dollars from the National Rifle Association or National Rifle Association.

The list begins with Sen. Mitt Romney who has received $13 million from the NRA. He is followed by Sen. Richard Barr who accepted $6.9 million from the NRA over time. Sen. Roy Blunt accepted $4.5 million and sixteen sitting GOP senators accepted at least one million dollars from the NRA over the course of their careers. 

I find it disgraceful what they are doing. It is nice to have money. But to continue to accept this blood money coming from the bodies of little children is unconscionable. I suppose they need something to hide behind and some came away from the NRA’s convention saying teachers should have a gun. 

That is the stupidest suggestion I have ever heard, for two reasons. When a shooter enters the classroom and teachers having a gun is public knowledge who is going to be his first target? The teacher.

I do not think administration would have a teacher armed with an assault weapon. They are heavy and frightening in themselves for the students. It would be a daily reminder that they could be the victims of a shooter

So, the teacher has a handgun. And NRA people want the teacher to go up against a shooter with an AR15 assault weapon with a pistol — come on, let’s be realistic.

In 1993 assault rifles were banned. And in 2004 the ban expired, and the purchase of assault rifles tripled. One number that says something about the American psyche is American own 400 million guns. That is more guns than people. It is time to cut back and ban assault weapons because they are a military weapon whose only purpose is kill somebody.