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Gun enthusiasts need to think of victims

  • Originally published March 1, 2013 at 8:57 p.m., updated March 1, 2013 at 8:57 p.m.

Editor, the Advocate:

On Feb. 23, there was a rally held in downtown Victoria regarding "the right of gun ownership." One individual said that it was "a God-given right to bear arms." Well, where were the children's, teacher's, movie goers', high school students', Gabby Giffords' and the child and adults listening to her on that beautiful Saturday morning's rights? Who knows what was in their futures? There could have been doctors, lawyers, teachers, politicians and, yes, even a president or two.

Would any of you just stop to think for one minute that what if the hundreds of people that die every day by these idiots could have been your child, grandchildren, friend, doctor, lawyer, etc? So many individuals die every day unnecessarily because of automatic weapons. Yes, a pistol that holds maybe six bullets or a shotgun that holds two shells would be understandable. They can easily protect you but not one that holds hundreds of rounds. Yes, there are people who live by themselves or who like to go out and hunt or a police officer who has trained many hours on how to properly use that gun; they have that right, but the senseless killings have to stop.

Tonight, when you are lying there trying to sleep and can't, instead of counting sheep, try counting the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their lives unnecessarily. And for the person that said it was their "God-given right" to own a firearm, well, evidently you have never studied the Bible or read the 10 Commandments because if you would have, you would have read the sixth commandment, which reads, "Thou shalt not kill," or "you shall not murder," or "you must not murder," depending on the version that you have read. Nowhere does it say that you have the right to bear arms.

Kim Smith, Victoria