Letters: Shooting solutions rest in political hands

Our children are sitting ducks, dying in regular school shootings. Thoughts and prayers won’t stop the shootings. Gun violence is now the No. 1 cause of death for children under 17. Suicides account for the majority of gun deaths in Minnesota and happen mostly in rural areas affecting mostly white men. And yet, some of our legislators oppose doing anything about our national public health epidemic of gun violence. Two bills working through the Minnesota House and Senate would work together to save lives without affecting gun rights. Requiring a background check on all gun sales would keep criminals, domestic abusers, adjudicated mentally ill people and others who should not have guns from getting one through purchases from licensed and private sellers.

The other bill is the Extreme Risk Protection Order bill which would temporarily remove a gun from someone who has exhibited dangerous behavior or actions that could cause risk for others or for the individual. Acting quickly to remove a firearm will save lives.

My sister died in a sudden and violent shooting death more than 20 years ago. Had a gun not been available to her estranged husband during a domestic dispute, she would be alive today. Her death changed my life, as I became an advocate for stronger gun laws and promoting gun safety reform at a local, state and national level.

Voters of both parties and gun owners favor these bills in recent polling. Please ask Rep. Dotseth and Sen. Rarick to support the bills. Don’t accept the false information that the bills would affect only law-abiding citizens, because they won’t. They will keep guns away from those who should not have them. They will not lead to any registration or confiscation of guns from law-abiding citizens. But they will save some lives from devastating gun violence.

Joan Peterson, Stoneybrook Township

Co-President of the Northland Brady Chapter working with Protect Minnesota