Wake up to realities of needed gun control

The news reported that yet another demented person has exercised his Second Amendment rights. He got off 52 shots with two guns in a matter of minutes, killing three and injuring nine in a fitness center before killing himself Aug. 4 in Pittsburgh.

The most outrageous propaganda from the National Rifle Association and its zealous followers is that those of us who want to see a ban on assault weapons also want to take guns away from hunters. They know this is an outright lie, but they perpetuate the myth because the gullible believe it. The most extreme members of this group would even like to see background checks eliminated.

It was not necessary to add an amendment to the Bill of Rights to protect hunters' rights. Owning hunting rifles was a given back then. Most of the nation was rural, and hunting was a way of life. Our forefathers wrote the Second Amendment to ensure the safety of our new nation. "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." This is not two sentences; it is not even a compound sentence, i.e., two complete thoughts. The second phrase refers to the first. The authors of this amendment wanted to ensure that our fledgling nation could protect itself with a militia.

Our forefathers certainly didn't envision that this amendment would give rise to everyone brandishing assault weapons. We are the most violent nation in the civilized world, with by far the most murders. When are we going to wake up and stop the carnage?

Beverly Leick

Hilton Head Island