An Open Letter to Wayne LaPierre:

I do not want a gun. My fellow teachers do not want guns. My students do not want me to carry a gun, nor do they ever want me to be in a position to have to use a gun. I do not want any free training in how to use a gun, as some teachers in Utah had this week. I also do not want your guns because I do not want to infringe on your Second Amendment rights. What I do want, desperately and fervently, is a measured, reasonable solution to the problem of military-style assault weapons and magazines. I know that your proposal hits a cord among those who want to keep children safe, but I see it as a ploy to get even more guns into people's hands while ignoring the complexities of this dilemma.


The fact of the matter is that we cannot address all of the mental health issues plaguing our youth and young adults, but we can address, easily and cheaply, the very real intersection of guns and mental illness. The one common denominator among all of the mass shootings since Columbine is that the shooters had easy access to assault weapons. This is where the conversation needs to start. So keep your guns. Just don't try to put one in my hand.

Sincerely,

Olga Polites

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20130103_Letters_to_the_Editor.html