Letter to the editor: On guns, what about the rights of others?

The letter from Karla Thomas spoke volumes (“Where is our decency and common sense?” May 29, TribLIVE). Her statement that commonsense gun laws are perceived as the evil Democrats coming for your guns has been the radical Republican Party’s and the NRA’s false narrative for years.

The NRA has two of the top Republican radicals leading their rallying cry in Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. I think they couldn’t care less about the horrific Texas school shooting or the tragic loss of someone else’s dear children. Perhaps if it had been one of theirs or an NRA activist, they would feel different. To send a child to school and lose them to a deranged maniac, who couldn’t legally get a beer but could buy an assault weapon to murder innocent children and teachers, is unfathomable.

I believe in the right to own guns for personal protection and hunting purposes, as long as you have the mental capacity to use them wisely. I also believe that assault weapons of any kind should only be available to law enforcement and the military. Many will debate that and argue about their rights. But when your rights infringe on the rights of innocent children in schools and innocent people in shopping malls, places of worship, movie theaters, concert venues, etc., then it is time to rethink those rights.

Don’t think it can’t happen here. It’s time to put the political rhetoric aside in this “what about me and the hell with everyone else” society. Think about the rights of others.

Edward A. Svitek

Brackenridge