As a Second Amendment supporter and a military veteran, guns have always been in my family. Like many of you, I grew up with them and still own several. When serving during the Vietnam War era, I carried an M1 carbine, a lightweight, high-powered semi-automatic war rifle with a 30-round magazine. It was not an adult toy designed for target practice at the local rifle range. It had one specific purpose: to kill people.

Military-style assault weapons, which are easily accessible, have no place in our public venues, our schools or on the streets of America. With their high-capacity magazines intact, they can maim or kill a very large number of people within a matter of seconds.

Additionally, guns in general are a big problem in the United States, with at least the equivalent of one for every man, woman and child. An average of over 90 Americans die each day from gun-related incidents. A fairly recent National Institutes of Health report stated that among the wealthier nations, 91 percent of kids under 15 who have died from bullets are from the U.S.

The Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) which was instituted in 1994 during the Clinton administration was ruled constitutional. Supported by former presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan (yes, you read it right), it placed severe restrictions on various semi-automatics and magazine capacities, including the AR-15 and AK-47. Despite public opposition, Congress recklessly allowed the ban to expire in 2004, bowing to pressure from the gun lobby. In the meantime, mass shootings skyrocketed over 200 percent.

There are a multitude of reasons why enraged, short-circuited mass killers are what they’ve become, and if you think these shootings should be treated primarily as a mental health issue (as some mistakenly contend) then why do other civilized nations not have a similar problem? Because of tight gun restrictions, that’s why.

What kind of warped society are we becoming when we allow our own selfish interests or paranoid “deep state” theories to trump the common good and concede our friends, neighbors and children as necessary risk-collateral for unrestrained gun rights? Gun lover or not, let’s all come to grips with one simple fact: Mass shooters have no preference or concern for their victims’ position on gun control. Every one of us is at potential risk.

More guns is clearly not the answer; neither is having a handful of armed guards at every school or church, or construction iron-clad public fortresses.

As ordinary citizens, parents or grandparents, we must commit to doing better in protecting our children. The first step for better ensuring our kids’ safety starts with each of us. Support national organizations striving to effect gun safety laws to keep them safer — especially our nation’s courageous youth, who have advocated for real change, while striving to show us grown-ups (with some of us still kicking and screaming) the best way forward!

Lou Kitchenmaster,

Stanton, Mich., resident