Letter: Guns don't fire by themselves; someone must pull the trigger

To the editor:

In response to letters to the editor from Mike Sponsler and Jim Korkowski. Mike and Jim, you nailed it right on the head.

Governor Abott from Texas said it best. "Forty years ago we had guns but no mass shootings. What has changed?"

That is the question that needs to be addressed. To stop these senseless killings we need to find out why someone decides to pull the trigger on innocent victims. It makes no difference what the gun looks like, how many rounds it holds, whether it has a barrel shroud or pistol grip.

All guns require someone to pull the trigger for it to fire. These killers will always find ways to kill whether it be with a gun or a bomb.

Some might have come from a single parent family. Others might be players of violent video games. Others might not have had exposure to religion or had a lack of discipline.

We need to find out why they act before they act and put them somewhere where society is safe from them. We have tried all kinds of gun restrictions over the last six decades. We've had restrictions on what is called an assault weapon (which is still unclear to many lawmakers). Registration and background checks. The firearm transfer form where it's a felony to lie on. Five year mandatory sentence for committing a crime with a gun.

None of these have been effective. Most are no longer enforced or see little enforcement. The only thing about them is that they just meet the public outcry to do something.

Unfortunately these solutions don't fix the problem. Guns don't fire by themselves. Someone must pull the trigger. Put this bad guy away.

Once you understand this, we can start solving these terrible tragedies.

Richard Thompson
Alexandria MN