Now that my hometown has joined the “Mass-Killing-of-the-Month” Club, I feel the need to comment, both as a native-son and as a “gun-lover”.

First, we already have enough guns.  We have less than 330 million people, including children and infants, but over 375 million guns.  How many do we need anyway?  Plus, we manufacture over a million new guns every year.

Second, the Second Amendment was never written to be absolute.  Already, we are not permitted to own “bazookas” or hand-grenades or field artillery or tanks, etc.  There is no “slippery slope.”

Third, the highly-partisan divide between Republicans and Democrats clouds the issue.  The National Rifle Association (NRA) obfuscates the debate intentionally.  The NRA contributes more heavily toward Republican candidates — buying their allegiance, their soul and their sense of decency.  The NRA is a cancer on the body of the Republican Party.

Fourth, the NRA is correct that “gun control” does not address the equally serious problem of “mental health”.  Nobody ever said it would!  If we started confiscating guns today, we would continue to have mass-killings, for a very long time.  We must simultaneously get guns off the street and get better access to Americans with mental health issues.  We can keep the presumption of innocence without a presumption of sanity.  We can walk and chew gum!

Fifth, America’s mental health would be improved by the destruction of the NRA!  Republicans must show some courage and do the right thing by destroying the NRA.

Sixth, I grieve for local residents, suffering from the senseless killing.  The weapons were purchased legally, but so what?  Legal guns are just as deadly as illegal guns, in the hands of a person without weapons-training or without a mental health assessment.

A month ago, we had a very large, very successful music festival here.  The local residents were pleased, prosperous, and happy.  What a difference a mass-killing makes . . .