The terror of a school shooting blanketed Barrow County last week. Four dead, nine wounded, a 14-year old arrested, teenagers traumatized for life, overwhelming grief and shock. Schools should be a safe place, plain and simple. Our kids go through drills in case of a school shooter and parents give them bullet-proof backpacks. This is not supposed to be our kids’ experiences.
I want to see stronger gun laws. I also want to make sure we do not demonize gun owners. Let’s set our sights on gun lobbies and the politicians beholden to them. I’m talking about you, Rep. Collins. Let’s get some commonsense protections in place so folks can hunt and our children are safe.
There is common ground between urban and rural voters on gun policies. We all want to see background checks for guns, including those purchased at gun shows. We believe anyone on the no-fly list should also be on a no-buy list for guns. We think anyone with a record of violence should not have access to firearms. We should not be arming teachers. We agree the NRA is just another lobbying group looking out for big corporations and no longer represents the hunters across America.
Gun safety legislation introduced in our State General Assembly gets blocked by Republicans every year despite a broad majority of Georgians wanting lawmakers to pass stricter firearm rules. Republicans dominate our state government. Maybe it’s time to change the balance to protect our children and schools can once again become a safe place.
Johnnie Ellington
Statham
Comments