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December 31, 2012

NRA’s proposal needs work

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — The National Rifle Association’s response to the elementary school shootings in Connecticut is unworkable and unrealistic.

The shootings, which claimed the lives of 20 children and seven adults, has created a whirlwind of concern over gun laws.

President Barack Obama wants to address the issue quickly.

Some are calling for stricter gun laws and gun bans.

The NRA responded by saying there should be no infringement on citizens’ Second Amendment rights.

The NRA should be in the business of doing all it can to protect its constituents’ rights.

But, in wake of the shootings and calls for stricter gun controls, the NRA opted for a head-in-the-sand approach.

The NRA proposed putting an armed officer to patrol in each of an estimated 135,000 public and private schools in the United States. The proposal is cost prohibitive — in the billions of dollars.

It would create the need to find more than 100,000 people qualified to make life-and-death decisions.

If a person is determined enough or sufficiently mentally ill, they will find relatively unprotected places.

The U.S. can’t afford armed guards everywhere.

— Muskogee Phoenix

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