Submitted by Monica Prihoda, Old Greenwich
An open letter to Republicans including State Senator Ryan Fazio, State Rep Kimberly Fiorello, candidate for State Rep Peter Sherr, candidate for State Rep Ed Lopez and all Greenwich Republican officials and candidates for office in the November 2022 election:
What exactly is your position on bringing forth and backing immediate legislation – both in CT and Federal levels – to:
1. Implement mandatory Background Checks for the purchase of any gun;
2. Eliminate Ghost Guns;
3. Eliminate Semiautomatic/AR-15/Black Rifles;
4. Increase the purchase age from 18 to 21;
5. Propose new ideas – and what would those be exactly – to minimize the massacres while protecting the 2nd Amendment.
Soft as flesh comments in a recent email to voters from local state senator Ryan Fazio are not enough to stem the random carnage in every state be it “conservative” Texas or more “progressive” Connecticut.
Much gratitude goes to our CT State Senators Murphy and Blumenthal, and Representative Himes for standing up for the majority of CT constituents and Americans who want change to strengthen gun laws to protect our families, friends, communities, and yes our police force. If gun laws had nationwide Federal teeth and thus local clout light would be shed on individuals who seek to build arsenals of guns. And, if you are a law abiding gun owner, what have you to fear? Nothing. You are protected by the 2nd Amendment.
The CT 2020 Police Reform Act is not the problem – it does nothing to protect officers and citizens from the rapid fire bullets of AR-15s available to anyone over 18 years old. The US does not have the only people with mental and emotional difficulties – but it is the only country with the highest rate of gun deaths and mass killings. The problem is too many guns – more than one per capita of the entire population of the United States.
Please do not cavalierly dismiss this as a problem that is not local. Tell that to families in the localities of Newtown, CT – massacre 10 years ago – and Uvalde, TX last week, and the list goes on ad infinitum.
Who’s next? Greenwich?
There’s a phrase that “faith without works is dead.” Thoughts are prayers without action are dead. It’s up to each and every citizen and official to stand up with the backbone we are born with.
Respectfully yours,
Monica Prihoda, Old Greenwich