Dear Editor,

I have never owned or shot a gun. No one in my family fought in a war. My two brothers were Marines, but were either too young or too old to fight in the Korean or Vietnam wars. I have my father’s draft card, but because of age and having five children, he was never called to serve in World War II.

I have always been anti-gun. But recently, I have come to see how some people feel a gun is necessary to protect themselves and their family. Nevertheless, I have yet to hear of any one of them using their gun for this purpose. In fact, some have even remarked that the gun is not readily accessible if they had to use it for self defense.

Then there are rifles used for hunting. Fine … if you like venison or rabbit … or if you simply like the sport of target shooting. That brings us to the rest of the weapons. I will admit to having no firsthand knowledge of them, but I do see their purpose — to kill many Americans or those living in our country fast and in large numbers.

There is much talk in recent years about the Second Amendment and the RIGHT to bear arms. I feel confident that the founding fathers were talking about muskets, not rapid fire guns with magazines that would have ended the Revolutionary War much sooner than the muskets. But then, speaking of RIGHTS, how about the preamble to the Constitution? Specifically the line that all men are created equal and have the “right to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness.”

The Second Amendment does not negate these rights so that the proud owners of assault weapons can have the right to possess and use these guns. Interesting also, I believe that the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate are probably gun-free zones. Those rights end at the doors of these chambers! So I have questions for Senator McConnell, Senator Rand Paul, and Congressman Brett Guthrie who could support reasonable gun laws: Was the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness denied to the following? The children at Sandy Hook, the dancers at Pulse, the workers in San Bernadino, those who prayed in South Carolina, the theatergoers in Colorado — the list may continue to grow.

These are American citizens. So whose rights are more important to you? Do you give greater priority to gun lobbyists such as the NRA, or to helpless American citizens gunned down in a moment of rapid fire and deprived of the rights given to them in the very preamble of our Constitution?

Jeanette Fieberg

Danville