Dear Leader,
I desperately need your attention on a very serious and very
difficult topic: Gun Violence. I was
struck so powerfully by a recent post on social media. It reminded viewers that after only one instance
of a shoe bomb, now at every United States airport we must all remove our shoes
before boarding a plane. It also
reminded us that this shoe bomb attempt failed.
One failed attempt changed all airline travel, only one.
However let me remind you of the 2015 Roseburg, Oregon
shooting where there were nine deaths, the 2015 Charleston, South Carolina
shooting where there were nine deaths, the 2014 Isla Vista, California shooting
where there were six deaths, the 2014 Fort Hood, Texas shooting where there were
three deaths, the 2013 Washington, D.C. shooting where there were twelve
deaths, the 2013 Santa Monica, California shooting where there were five
deaths, the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut shooting where there were twenty-seven
deaths, the 2012 Brookfield, Wisconsin shooting where there were three deaths,
the 2012 Minneapolis, Wisconsin shooting where there were six deaths, the 2012
Oak Creek, Wisconsin shooting where there were six deaths, the 2012 Aurora, Colorado
shooting where there were twelve deaths, the Oakland, California shooting where
there were seven deaths, the 2011 Seal Beach, California shooting where there
were eight deaths, the 2011 Tucson, Arizona shooting where there were six
deaths, the 2010 Manchester, Connecticut shooting where there were eight deaths,
the 2010 Huntsville, Alabama shooting where there were three deaths, the 2009 Fort
Hood, Texas shooting where there were thirteen deaths, the 2009 Binghamton, New
York shooting where there were thirteen deaths, the 2008 DeKalb, Illinois
shooting where there were five deaths, the 2007 Omaha, Nebraska shooting where
there were eight deaths, the 2007 Blacksburg, Virginia shooting where there
were thirty-two deaths, the 2007 Salt Lake City, Utah shooting where there were
five deaths, the 2007 Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania shooting where there were five
deaths, the 2005 Red Lake Indiana Reservation shooting where there were nine
deaths, the 2003 Meridian, Mississippi
shooting where there were five deaths and it just keeps on going and going and
going.
One failed shoe bomb changes air travel but America still
refuses to address gun violence. I believe
the reason for this is that America was able to recognize what the purpose of a
bomb is. A bomb is for killing; that is
the purpose of a bomb.
What is the purpose of a gun? You must answer this question. As my government leader you must answer it.
I have been asking this question non-stop since the most recent
slaughter of nine Americans in Oregon. I
receive three answers:
- Some people will inhale sharply, fearfully, and then they freeze. They cannot speak. They do not answer the question.
- Some people will answer, “Well it depends…”
- Some people will answer, that knives, ballpoint pens and chopsticks of all things have the ability to kill too.
The question is not whether a knife, ballpoint pen or
chopsticks CAN kill, the question is: what is the purpose of a gun? But that’s the problem, everyone wants to
talk about the lethal power of chopsticks but nobody wants to actually admit
that the purpose of a gun is to kill.
That is what it is for. The
people arguing about ballpoint pens actually know this because they use the
word “too.” Ballpoint pens can kill “too.”
That may be possible, but that is not the
purpose of a ballpoint pen. It is the
purpose of a gun. They know that. The people who answer “Well it depends…” also
know that guns kill because they usually proceed to discuss hunting. If you intend to hunt, you intend to
kill. That is what hunting is for. That is why guns are used for hunting. However the “depends” people usually then
begin to argue that they need guns for “protection.” A gun however is not for “protection.” Body armor is used for protection, it covers
the major organs of the body. You cannot
put a gun in front of your chest and rely on it to stop a bullet. A gun only “protects you” when you fire it at
something that is trying to kill you. If
you don’t kill it though, it won’t protect you at all. The people who won’t, or can’t answer also know
that a gun is for killing. They can’t
answer because they can’t bear the thought of killing.
I also can’t bear the thought of another mass killing. I am a mother. I do not want my child to end up as another
fatality. I am also a police officer and
I am waiting for the day I will have to respond to kind of nightmare. I will have to unless you do something!
The second amendment gives Americans the “right to bear
arms.”
I understand this amendment.
I hold it as sacred because I am one of those Americans bearing arms. However the constitution was written by slave
holding men and no women, because women did not have the authority to vote let
alone hold a political office. We
Americans have grown since then. We
recognized the validity of women and the horror of slavery. Can we not outgrow our obsession with guns?
It has been documented that the 2015 Oregon shooter was
obsessed with guns. He only talked about
guns. He posed with a gun on a dating
site because he was obsessed with guns.
His mental health status is as irrelevant as his use of chopsticks or
ballpoint pens, because what matters is that he was obsessed with guns! The purpose of a gun is to kill. It has no other purpose. Therefore the Oregon shooter was obsessed
with killing. Yet everyone is surprised
that he killed nine people. Perhaps if
people had been willing to recognize the purpose of guns they would have been
more alarmed to hear and see this man obsess over them! He killed those nine people with four weapons
all legally owned.
America needs gun reforms and we need them now. Anyone who owns a gun has the ability to
kill. Anyone who sells a gun is selling
the ability to kill. We need to start
being frank about this fact. No one person
really needs to own more than one gun. A
person should have to specify the reason they are purchasing the gun. “Deer Hunting,” is a reasonable answer but you
do not need an assault rifle to fill your freezer with meat! “My house was broken into and I’m afraid,” is
probably a reasonable answer as long as the person passes a gun certification course
much like the driving test given to people seeking the legal ability to operate
a motor vehicle. “I like guns,” is NOT
an acceptable answer! It is not an
acceptable answer because a person who is obsessed with guns is a person
obsessed with killing.
I want gun reforms
- I want to see limits placed on the number of guns one individual may own
- I want to see licensing requirements increased. All gun owners must pass both written and practical exams with enforced expiration dates just as we do with driver’s licenses.
- I want people to have to explain their reason for gun ownership.
- But I want most to see and hear people answer the question: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A GUN? With the actual answer: A gun is for killing.
By allowing Americans the right to bear arms without
acknowledging the consequences of that you are giving Americans the right to
kill so many other Americans.
You must answer the question. You as a leader of this nation cannot remain
silent. It does not “depend” and surely
you are above such childish antics of ballpoint pens and chopsticks. You must answer the question: WHAT IS A THE
PURPOSE OF A GUN?
It is for killing.
People need to know this and you must tell them.
Sincerely,
Amy Christensen
I have sent this letter to every politician I have access to from my neighborhood Alderman to Presidential Candidates. Something must be said. We can no longer remain silent.
Please answer the question: What is the purpose of a gun?
