Well, lucky us. We now have people in Central Oregon with AR-15s who are insane enough to walk into a grocery store and shoot people. Yes, insane. People in their right minds don’t go around killing strangers who are shopping for cornflakes and milk.

They do not embark on a killing spree planned out in their minds, or posted on social media, to take out teachers and children the day after murdering strangers at Safeway. But crazy or sane, we all have easy access to purchasing any kind of gun and ammo because … why?

It’s because this is the home of the brave and the land of the free. Brave and free? There is nothing brave about loading up an AR-15 and going where local seniors shop to pop off a few. What a coward. Free to what? Kill anybody anywhere? Free to tote a gun or rifle publicly downtown even though it naturally intimidates and scares people? Nothing brave nor freedom loving about that at all.

Oh, it’s to protect our right to bear arms, Amendment II. An interpretation that intentionally ignores the first four words of that amendment; “A well regulated Militia.” The protection of the Second Amendment, no matter what, ignores why it was written.

It was a time of war, and we did not have an army. This amendment allowed the newly formed U.S. government to create an army out of the young male farmers, hunters, and explorers. That is why that amendment was written. The British were coming!

Today, we have an Army, Navy, an Air Force, a National Guard, a Coast Guard and a Space Force.

Yet just recently in Central Oregon, within the city of Bend, many people lost a loved one — a father, husband, brother, uncle, son, grandfather, friend or neighbor — to a senseless death because we do not regulate the purchasing of civilian held arms. We definitely should regulate these sales and the vast majority of U.S. citizens agree we should, regardless party affiliation. So why haven’t we?

Without going into a 40-year history, regulation of civilian gun sales has not happened because a well-financed gun lobby stops the legislations from moving forward, because we have legislators who care more about campaign finances than saving lives, and because of leaders who wish to keep the public in a state of fear and division in order to remain in office.

Let’s stop this. Do not vote for candidates who refuse to pass legislation with reasonable gun regulation policies. I know that as a rural Oregonian, Jamie McCleod-Skinner supports common sense gun legislation and she is here for us. I am voting for her. I am voting for any candidate who is following the lead of the people to do what is necessary to stop these mass murders in our towns, cities, counties, and states.