Full disclosure: I am a member of Moms Demand Action, but in this letter I am speaking from my place as a mother and gun-owner.

Too often attempts to address gun violence are portrayed as an attack on the Second Amendment. In reality Americans support reasonable measures to reduce gun violence, including universal background checks and "red flag laws." You can support the Second Amendment while simultaneously accepting that we have a serious problem with gun violence in this country.

In America, we have accepted restrictions on driving, purchasing cigarettes and alcohol, even when and where we can hunt or fish, and the list goes on. To be clear, I take no issue with any of these restrictions. My issue is our collective inability to similarly address gun violence in this country.

As a law-abiding citizen and responsible gun owner, I am keenly aware of the serious responsibilities of gun ownership but also painfully aware of the daily toll of guns in America. I am even more aware that my children have completed more active shooter drills in their tiny lives than I ever had to, which was exactly zero.

We can create a safer gun culture in America, but it will take the voice of responsible gun-owners in the middle to lead that charge. I, for one, am willing to accept reasonable restrictions for a safer society for myself and my children, and I would urge other gun- owners to lend their support to similar measures.

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Letter to the editor: You can support Second Amendment and ... - The Winchester Star