Here we are again. An untold number of lives destroyed because one mentally ill person was able to legally access as many guns as he wanted and fulfill his deranged fantasy. Each time this happens we question and investigate the motive of the shooter. And each time the motive is irrelevant – there are mentally ill people here and all over the world who have grand and displaced grudges toward whoever they feel has done them wrong.

The only difference in our country is that we all have the constitutional right to acquire and possess as many weapons as we want. Sadly, this has surpassed the right of all American citizens to live in a world where we do not fear sending our children to school, or being kept awake at night by the possibility that a shooter with legally acquired weapons may show up at any public venue.

Gun rights advocates, this is on you. While the vast majority of you are law-abiding and just as horrified as I am by these events, I plead with you to ask yourself this question: Is your right to bear arms more important than the rights of the wounded and deceased, and their grieving family members, to live in a world without fear of gun violence? Although you would never commit these horrific acts, can you relinquish some of your attachment to these tools so that we can ensure that other people who do not have your good moral convictions are prevented from carrying out these horrible acts?

We all offer our condolences, prayers and thoughts to the families in Oregon. But those are not enough anymore.

Amy Benson

Durango