Dear Editor,
I am writing about HB 172, a reckless, wildly dangerous, bill that would repeal gun-free zones.
I have no problem with responsible gun owners keeping and using their weapons safely. But, as the parent of a third-grader, I cannot understand why firearms would be necessary in an elementary school, a university lecture hall, a sporting event, or during a legislative session. Guns do not help children learn or professors lecture. Nor do guns advance the democratic process when people fear speaking their minds during a government hearing because doing so might endanger their lives.
And while some claim that ‘good guys with guns’ will keep us safer, the research is clear: The weaker the gun laws, the more gun violence and deaths there are. In this Wyoming stands out. We have some of the weakest gun laws in the nation and, as a result, among the highest rates of gun deaths and suicides, too.
But it’s our children and teens who are most endangered. Gun violence remains the leading cause of death for American youth. And it’s states with the weakest gun laws that also have the highest rates of firearm deaths among children.
HB 172 will endanger children’s lives, stifle free speech through intimidation, and also restrict the ability of any non-legislative branch of state government to regulate firearms. This represents a profound restriction and contradicts core Wyoming values of independence and local control.
The consequences of this bill will be dire. HB 172 must fail.
Sincerely,
Danielle Shapiro,
Jackson, Wyo.
