Charles Ritter: A new revolution

Several recent national polls indicate the majority of Americans favor stricter gun control laws, background checks for gun ownership and limits on the sale of assault rifles and the manufacture, sale or possession of semi-automatic weapons.

A very large majority (over 85 percent) favor banning gun sales to convicted felons, those on the “terrorist watch list,” those on the “no fly list” and those with mental health issues.

Four proposals in the Senate were voted down recently aimed at curbing gun sales (“Senate rejects 4 proposals for gun control,” June 21 news article).

The Second Amendment enshrines the right to keep and bear arms, but this does not preclude reasonable gun-control measures. Not all weapons should be considered suitable for private hands.

An uphill fight remains even for the most reasonable gun-control reforms because of the opposition from the National Rifle Association. We are being held hostage by the NRA. Our representatives in Washington do not represent the American people when it comes to gun control. Taxation without representation.

We need a revolution similar to what we had 240 years ago. Another Boston Tea Party to be sure we have the proper representation. Oops, did I say “Tea Party”? That’s why we are in this mess.

This story was originally published June 25, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Charles Ritter: A new revolution."