Letter - Doing nothing about gun laws is not an answer; legislation is needed

To the editor:

Senator Ingebrigtsen’s statement that he takes his oath to uphold the Constitution seriously is very admirable. Wrapping oneself in the American flag and being a defender of the Constitution is also an easy way to ensure reelection in this Republican district.

However, insinuating that those of us who are looking for ways to reduce our extremely high murder rate are against the Constitution is insulting. Americans’ rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What about the Commandment, “Thou shall not kill?” I don’t think the founding fathers sat in Philadelphia and said, “We have to include an amendment to ensure that mentally unbalanced people and criminals have the right to buy the latest in military weapons.”

Stating that we shouldn’t do anything about domestic murders because of the terrorist threat, doesn’t fly. The two are not connected. President Obama seems to have the terrorist threat under control through the use of the military, drones, seal teams, CIA, FBI and the police. While there will undoubtedly be killings in the future, that should not prevent us from addressing the much greater loss of life by Americans killing Americans. Stating that it is not the gun that is the problem, but the murderer, is obviously not true. The gun does not work without the trigger puller, but the trigger puller would not work without a gun.

Expressing sympathy to murder victims is not enough. Being killed deprives the victim of their Constitutional rights to life. Senator Ingebrigtsen should work to draft legislation that will keep guns in the hands of law abiding citizens for protection and sport, while keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally deranged and criminal. He was elected to solve problems, not ignore them. Doing nothing is not an answer.

Marvin Jensen

Kensington, MN

Tags: opinion, letters