I’m reading a lot of interesting comments and letters about Question 9 and why to vote “no.” The argument that it stops law-abiding citizens from owning these weapons but not “violent criminals” is puzzling to me. It seems to me that you can become a violent criminal once you have a gun in your hands. The kid in Bend, Oregon, who killed others violently was 16 and got the gun from a parent. Was he a criminal before he had a gun? The young man who killed so many in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, was also a troubled young man until he had access to guns (from a parent), and then he became a violent criminal. Mass shootings happen primarily with young men. How did they become criminals? How many people would still be alive if more powerful guns weren’t so easy to get? I’m not hearing a convincing argument for repealing these laws. Voting “yes” on Question 9 means the gun laws that keep us all safe will stay intact.
Linda Hillenbrand
Leverett