William Appel: Be an ally

As a youth, I engaged in the casual bigotry against black people and anti-gay slurs common to that time. That behavior changed as I got to know people of color as well as gays and lesbians through my time the military and subsequent employment.

However, this is not a letter about overcoming prejudice. It is about access to guns. When blind prejudice and ignorance are combined with ready access to assault weapons, massacres ensue. The majority of Americans, even a majority of NRA members, support sensible gun control. But even modest efforts at reform are defeated by the power of the gun manufacturers’ lobby.

In addition to demanding that our legislators pass legislation preventing the ownership of semi-automatic weapons, we can stand up against bigotry when and wherever it rears its ugly head. Do not let racist and anti LBGT comments go by without indicating that you find such words offensive. Be an ally of groups under attack, such as the Muslims, people of color and the LGBT community. To do nothing is to be complicit in horrors such as the one that just occurred.

This story was originally published June 13, 2016 at 5:51 PM with the headline "William Appel: Be an ally."