Letters to the Editor: August 15 – 21, 2019
Vote for Legislators Who Will Make Virginia Safer
Editor,
In 2018, Virginia became the first state to offer a special interest license plate bearing the legend, “Stop Gun Violence.” Hard to do in a state that is home to the National Rifle Association.
On Jan. 23, 2018 at approximately 8:50 a.m. EST Delegate Marcus Simon (D, 53rd District) presented a constituent request for the license plate bill to the House of Representatives Transportation Committee in the Virginia General Assembly. At 7:55 a.m. CST at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky a student began to kill two and injured 14 individuals by gun fire with a Ruger MK II handgun.
On Feb. 14, 2018 Delegate Simon presented the same constituent request for the “Stop Gun Violence” license plate bill to the Senate Transportation Committee in the Virginia General Assembly, at approximately 2:40 p.m. EST. At 2:19 p.m. EST in Parkland, Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School a student began to kill 17 and injured 17 individuals with an AR-15 assault weapon.
These statistics are sad but oddly not ironic, because random acts of violence like mass shootings have now become common. There have been approximately 250 mass shootings this year. A mass shooting is defined as four or more people killed indiscriminately.
What can we do? Come November, we can vote for legislators who will work to make Virginia a safer state to live in.
Carol Luten
Falls Church
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