Dear Representative

Dear Representative,

I am writing to express my support for strengthening and introducing more laws that support gun control in our country and the state of Utah.  Our children go to school living in fear of a massacre and/or they have an armed guard at the entrance to their school.  People are afraid to go to nightclubs, concerts, or other crowded venues.  This is called terrorism and it is not being committed by immigrants or Muslim extremists, it is being executed EVERY DAY by angry men who were born in the United States.  If an immigrant or ISIS motivated killer inflicted this type of terrorism on our country, the current administration would be doing everything in its power to stop the terror.  Instead, the Republicans continue to cave in to lobby pressure.  Enough is enough.

These acts of terror are unacceptable in one of the wealthiest democratic countries in the world.  I understand that this is a multi-faceted problem that requires action on many fronts, but we have to start somewhere and in the places where we have the most control.   I am not against the second amendment, but every constitutional right has conditions and this one is no different.  Military style assault rifles like the AR-15 are designed to KILL PEOPLE in combat; no civilian needs access to this kind of firepower for self-defense.

A mentally ill person is just a person with a mental illness, but when they have access to a gun, they become a murderer, or a suicide victim.  Mental illness is not like other afflictions; mentally ill people don’t wear a cast on their head to identify their ailment.    Mental illness is easy to hide, and conversely difficult to diagnose.  Moreover, it is nearly impossible to convince someone to voluntarily get treatment.  Focus on what is within our control, which is the access to guns.  Guns facilitate and accelerate death.  AR-15’s do this at an exponential rate. 

Ideally I would like to see the following put into place at least at the state level and hopefully at the federal level as well:

•    Ban on semi-automatic assault rifles like the AR-15

•    Ban on bump stocks

•    Buy back of existing AR-15’s in circulation

•    Higher taxes on gun purchases and use that money to fund gun violence research

•    Expanded Background checks on ALL gun purchases (at gun stores, gun shows, everywhere a gun can be sold)

•    Minimum waiting period of 30 days between background check and gun purchase

•    Anyone with a mental health record should not have access to a gun.  Ever.

•    Raise the minimum age to buy a gun to 21

•    Mandatory training before getting a license to own a gun

•    Limit to the amount of ammo that can be purchased by any one individual and a database to track this information 

•    More federally funded research into gun violence so we can enact laws that will have an immediate impact on saving lives

•    Advertising campaigns similar to what happened with the tobacco industry - they used to be sexy, and then a coordinated campaign based on facts and research was initiated to educate people, particularly kids, about the dangers of smoking.  It took 20 years, but now everyone knows that smoking kills.  We need the same type of effort for gun control.

I will not vote for a candidate that receives any money from the NRA.  What was once an organization for sportsmen has become an unchecked and unreasonable political force that advocates for murder in our country.  Don’t let them have that power. 

I will be sending this letter to every politician in Utah, and also to all of my friends and family to share with their congressmen and senators around the country.  Things are going to change.  You can either be the agent of change or be trampled by the resistance.  The younger generation has grown up in an appalling state of fear and unnecessary death that we all allowed to happen by not standing up to the NRA.  These young adults now have a voice and it will speak loudly at the polls.  Even with a lack of federally funded research, data from around the world cited in many trusted publications makes it clear that less guns = less gun violence.  The equation is simple.

I just returned from March for our Lives.  I listened to young people from our town and from the Parkland high school describe their lives at school and the fears they have.  In my opinion, it is disgusting that we have let the issue get this far. Take action now. 

You represent citizens, not corporations.  It is your responsibility to make decisions that benefit and protect the most people in your jurisdiction.  The weapons available today are nothing like those in use when the founding fathers wrote the second amendment.  Our societal values and pressures have also changed.  The combination of these elements has created a grave danger to your constituents.  Do your job and protect them.  Every day.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Henderson