Friday morning, we awoke to another mass shooting.

Another eight Americans lost their lives to a gunman with an automatic weapon and high-capacity magazine. This is insanity!

Clearly, our elected officials have failed to protect Americans from mass deaths caused by assault-style weapons.

Why? Why have our elected officials failed to address the issue of assault weapons? Are they afraid of the NRA? Do they value being re-elected more than protecting the American people? Do they lack the courage to address the danger of assault weapons? Is there really a first amendment right to own all types of guns, even assault weapons?

Certainly, I support the right to own a gun to protect oneself or a rifle to enjoy the sport of hunting. However, ownership of assault weapons or the purchase high-capacity magazines should be reserved for the military.

Those items are for one purpose and one purpose only -to kill as many people as possible in a short period of time. Period. Full stop.

It is time for Congress to act to protect the American people. Those who have a huge monetary incentive to keep producing assault weapons should not be allowed to stop necessary legislation to protect the American people.

If a politician is in the pocket of the NRA and receiving campaign funds from them, they should be ashamed. They bear partial responsibility for the deaths we are experiencing from these mass killings.

It is time to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines now.

Kathleen Coward

Meridian