Letters: As rhetoric rages, Americans should support 'Gun Sense Candidates'

In the past two months, former President and current candidate Donald Trump has escaped two apparent assassination attempts. The security of innocent Haitian residents in Springfield, Ohio, has also been jeopardized by a barrage of threats.

How can we end this horrifying epidemic of political violence?

Many believe that, in our polarized climate, heated political rhetoric is to blame. Stop the name-calling, this argument goes, and potentially violent people will not be aroused to pick up firearms. However, sometimes “name-calling” is actually truth-telling, while at other times it is spreading lies. Can’t we discuss our differences without bloodshed?We can begin by honestly acknowledging the conditions of violence. We can agree that, whatever their mental health issues, people who kill — including domestic abusers, school shooters, and those who commit suicide, as well as assassins — can commit these tragedies all too quickly when they have easy access to firearms. Every day, more than 120 Americans are killed by guns.We do not have to accept this carnage, and we can argue our differences of opinion peacefully. We can demand stronger laws that would make murder, suicide, and accidents involving guns far less likely.

Gun Sense Candidates, if elected, will be committed to working for common-sense solutions, such as laws that would require safe gun storage and universal background checks and prohibit people with dangerous histories from having unlimited access to firearms.

Check www.gunsensevoter.org to find Gun Sense Candidates who are running in your district, and vote for them in November.

Mary Lash

Piedmont

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Letters: As rhetoric rages, Americans should support 'Gun Sense Candidates'