To the Editor,

How can anyone who has witnessed the recent carnage in Connecticut draw the conclusion that assault rifles are the problem? Guns being in the hand of the mentally ill is the problem; but our predictably lame anti-gun crowd choose to blame an inanimate object for our issues rather than address the more complicated issue.

The nation is hurt and wants a quick fix. They want to make guns the villain because it is easy; but it is also irrational. Unless you’re going to ban all guns, it makes no sense to ban any. A maniac can still use a shotgun or handgun to kill, so what are we accomplishing by banning assault rifles? Are we hoping that the next killer is only able to shoot 10 people instead of 40?

If we kept guns out of the hands of crazy people, it wouldn’t matter which guns were legal. Guns have been legal and widely available in this country since the beginning. Why now are guns responsible for our blood lust and irrational behavior?

Instead of taking guns away, we should have the courage to advocate that all responsible citizens buy guns, get educated and trained. Stop treating guns like the boogieman and start recognizing them as necessary tools to our survival against evil. If we stopped disarming good people, these shootings would cease. Criminals and maniacs are not interested in picking targets that can shoot back. That’s why they pick gun-free zones to wage their massacres.

Alicia Jiles

Pembroke