Public Comment

February 14, 2018 marks the anniversary of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School—the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that stirred a nation’s outrage at the epidemic of gun violence. The shooter, armed with a military style semiautomatic AR-15 gunned down 17 students, staff and teachers in just three minutes. Several of the students who survived rose to national prominence taking aim at the “hall of shame” - the NRA and the politicians who put profit over people’s lives. Sadly, “Never again” becomes the rallying cry after each mass shooting.  

The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the organizers of “March for Our Lives” who mobilized the youth vote nationwide for the midterm elections and nearly defeated the pro-gun candidates in the Parkland students’ home state of Florida. Nearly 1,200 children have died from gun violence in the year following the Parkland shooting. That’s three to four a day.  

This is a national outrage. It is time we take aim at the real villain, the SECOND AMENDMENT. This was relevant at the birth of our nation when states had legitimate fears of an overbearing tyrannical federal government but has no place in today’s society. Retired Supreme Court Justice, John Paul Stevens is a vigorous advocate for repealing the Second Amendment. We should heed his wise words. Finally, it is time we demand revocation of the NRA’s non-profit status. 

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