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I am not anti-gun. My father was an army sharpshooter and taught ALL his children how to shoot straight and understand that guns were tools… not toys. He told us if you can’t hit a deer with one shot then don’t shoot. I stopped putting deer in the freezer 30 years ago when my son was born.

The Second Amendment reads: “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.” To put this in perspective, founder John Adams said, The fundamental law of the militia is, that it be created, directed and commanded by the laws, and ever for the support of the laws. He also suggested that lawlessness would follow if armed citizens were allowed to determine how firearms should be used.

After the MSU shooting, firearm safety bills were passed by the Michigan House of Representatives and offered to the Senate. These bills will require safe storage of firearms, ensure we have background checks on all firearm purchases, and make sure those who are known by the court to be at risk to themselves or others cannot access firearms.

Senator Bayer said, Guns are the number one cause of death for children and young adults today. Our MSU students this week were told to execute what they’ve been practicing for years – Hide, Run, Fight. It didn’t work; it doesn’t work. And eight more kids were shot.

Senator Camilleri said, What is freedom when your right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are taken away by someone we all know should never have had a gun in the first place?

Republican Senator Mark Webber along with former U.S. Reps. Fred Upton and Dave Trott threw their support behind this gun safety package.

Most people support background checks. However, it is interesting that many people blame the mentally ill for gun violence but don’t want interventional laws enacted. Some people say it is inconvenient to keep their weapons locked up and away from children or thieves. Inconvenience should not be used as an excuse when a child is lost or when watching a loved one recover from a preventable gunshot wound.

The phrases law abiding or God given right are used frequently to justify opposing firearm regulation. I was astonished when reading about a resolution banning enforcement if these laws if enacted. “The Cass County Board of Commissioners hereby orders that Cass County shall not support the enforcement of any new amendments or new legislation coming from Senate Bills 0076-0086, using county funds, appropriations, personnel, or property.“ Cass County Commissioners have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure the security of Government property, assets, facilities and inventory. They could de-fund the courts and law-enforcement but is that really what we elected them to do. Commissioners take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the State of Michigan. They do not have the authority to willfully neglect their duty to support the rule of law. That is called anarchy.

Lois Koel

Dowagiac