Although I am by no means a scholar of the Constitution, a few things I do know. The Constitution is an imperfect document that can be amended when citizens see fit. It has been amended 27 times. There are sometimes limits to the rights covered by the amendments. For example, everyone knows you cannot yell “Fire!” in a crowded space. Public safety trumps individual freedoms.

Why, then, can the biggest modern times threat to public safety not be eliminated? Why can’t weapons of war (assault weapons) be removed from the weapons available to the general citizenry? I have always thought that the original intent of the Second Amendment was about a well-trained militia, not unregulated gun ownership by anyone who wants a gun.

I doubt the founding fathers imagined the National Rifle Association and its powerful gun lobby. The National Rifle Association prevents the use of common sense from ridding this country of gun violence. I am not anti-hunting or anti-self protection. I am anti-mass shootings that continue to terrorize our country. We deserve better. It is time to make public safety the priority.

Maddie Akeley
South Portland

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