HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-0218 Public Forum Doc Submtited
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Hello. Thank you for hearing my concerns tonight. I am a mother and business owner here in
Ashland. I value the safety of this town, and am grateful that I feel comfortable raising my
children here. As a mother, my heart hurts every time I hear of another incident of mass
murders involving our children and public places. My thoughts, however, never go to the idea
of preventing law abiding people the right to bear arms in whatever way they choose. I know
the entire country gets sucked into the debate EVERY TIME something horrific like this happens,
but the only people it will EVER hurt are the people who do their best to live by the law. Do you
think someone capable of commiting a crime as horrible as what has happened in some of our
schools recently would give a second thought about abiding by a law that dictates who can
carry a gun, and how? I think not. Imagine if a teacher, parent, or custodian was carrying a gun
at Sandy Hook? Imagine if, maybe they were even allowed to open carry? How much faster do
you think the murderer could have been stopped? Maybe it could have been prevented
altogether.
The Facts show, that here in Ashland, there has NEVER been an issue with a law-abiding person
carrying a gun in ANY way. Our country was founded on the rights of the individual person.
One of those rights, that was never to be taken away, was our right to bear arms. The right to
protect ourselves in an emergency.
Imagine you are a woman, and you are being attacked on the street, or someone is breaking in
to your home. There is NO WAY any police force, no matter how fast or skilled they might be,
would reach in time to prevent terrible harm. Now imagine you are carrying a gun. If you were
open carrying on the street, think of how small the chance would be that your attacker would
even dare approach you. This is our right. To protect ourselves.
Now imagine we are able to create the reality some people in this country would love to see. A
totally peaceful community where we don't even remember what a gun looks like. At least
among those who follow our country's laws. Think about what that would mean if a CRIMINAL
entered our community, and how HELPLESS we would be, waiting until our protectors, the
government, had the time to come to our aid. How much damage and death do you think one
criminal could bring upon that helpless community, if the police took even 5 minutes to arrive?
We CANNOT lose this God-given right to protect ourselves, and bear arms if we choose. The
Government does NOT have the right to tell any of us how we can protect ourselves, our
families and our homes. The proposed gun control ordinance risks wasting countless dollars on
a problem that doesn't even exist. Thank you for your service and effort to make Ashland a
great place to live!