I cannot remember watching a spectacle as disgusting and reprehensible as the current NRA assault against students who have witnessed many of their friends and teachers being gunned down, who then responded by leading an effort to pass sensible gun control laws. The NRA’s grotesque and grossly aggressive attacks against these teenagers — accusing them of becoming dupes of “radical left wing groups who want to take all guns away” — is not only utterly false, it is abominable.

These students have lived through hell. It may take weeks or months before they truly come to grips with that horror. This is an incident that often leads to lifelong PTSD. Instead of giving these students needed support, the NRA responds with an attack against them, against their motives, against their common sense.

Donald Trump has joined in the attack, even leading the attack by telling students directly that the way to deal with such gun-based horror is to inject more guns into the scenario.

For decades the NRA promoted responsible gun ownership, target practice and hunting. It morphed into an organization promoting unrestrained mayhem. This president, too, promotes mayhem along with lack of civility.

I commend the corporations that have abruptly ended discounts to NRA members. I urge all others to join in this appropriate response. I ask American voters to place our right to safety when entering school, a movie theater, a shopping mall, an open air concert, or any other venue far above the right to own a weapon of mass destruction. I urge American voters to rid ourselves of elected officials from the president on down who do nothing in the face of one massacre after another but besmirch those students pleading for a safe life.

Bruce Barnbaum

Granite Falls