LETTER: Too many Americans love guns more than children

I found G.W. Aitken’s Wednesday letter truly sad. It clearly shows he hasn’t been paying attention to the essence of the assault weapons debate or the death and destruction caused by assault-style weapons. So allow me to offer him some assistance.

The weapon of choice in the majority of mass shootings is the AR-15, which is clearly a weapon of war, designed to kill people quickly and in large numbers, hence the term “assault-style rifle” just like its Communist country cousin, the AK-47. I’m all too familiar with the AR because I carried an M16 (the military version of the AR) while in the Army. Consider that an AR bullet can enter your shoulder, tumble down shredding your organs, and exit at the back of your thigh. In fact, many of the children killed with an AR-15 have to be identified through dental records.

Let me continue to elucidate on the points with which Mr. Aitken says he has trouble. “Responsible gun safety measures” means take responsibility for your guns and lock them up. And increase the breadth and scope of background checks. An “assault weapons ban” is seemingly simple. The average citizen does not need to own a weapon of war. Aren’t the lives of our children worth foregoing just these few rifles that aren’t even usable for hunting? Shooting rabbits with an AR-15 is the very definition of “overkill.”

Such unbridled support for assault weapon ownership to me means far too many Americans love their guns more than they love children. And that’s just pathetic.