To start, I am a gun owner. I shot my first gun as a young child. My father, an Army veteran, taught my siblings and me how to shoot guns at a young age. He also, more importantly, taught us to respect the power and danger of a gun. They were not toys.

So, as a current gun owner, I just want to say that I would always be willing to have all of my guns registered. I also would not have a problem with having to purchase a license to own any gun. We have to take written tests, physical tests, and be insured just to drive a vehicle. Why does anyone have a problem with requiring the same for owning a gun? If required, I would be more than willing to take a written test to own a gun. I would be more than willing to show that I can clean, load, and responsibly fire a gun. I don't think that is asking too much from me.  What are the people fighting this afraid of? That they can't pass a written test? That they can't perform the physical tasks? These are dangerous weapons and everyone that insists on having one should be required to show they are responsible enough to own one.

I don't fire my guns often. I used to target shoot, but don't take the time to do it anymore. Mostly, I use a gun to dispatch (put an animal out of its misery) when sick or injured on our farm. For us, having a gun is a necessity. But, again, I would have no problem registering, licensing, or insuring any of my guns.

Now that I have said that, I turn my thoughts to assault weapons. No one, and I mean NO ONE, needs to own an assault weapon.  They are not made for hunting. They are not made for target shooting. They are made for one reason, and one reason only, killing. Do I own one? Absolutely not! Have I fired one? Yes, when I was in the Army. I received an expert medal for my accuracy with the deadly weapon. Do I want to own one or fire one again. No. I don't find the need to.

Owners of assault weapons say they need them for protection. There are plenty of other options out there. Who needs a weapon that can fire anywhere from 23 rounds per minute all the way up to 400 rounds a minute with modifications? The military that's who. Not the average person walking down the street. Assault weapons were made for the military. The only way anyone might need an assault weapon is if we were at war protecting our country. Are any of the current owners of these weapons doing that? I think not. If we, as Americans, needed to protect our country I'm sure our government, our military, would distribute them and train us to use them just as the country of Ukraine has done for the last few brutal months.

I hear gun owners complain that the government is trying to take away their guns. This is not true. Hand guns, rifles, shotguns are not the most concerning issue when we talk about gun control. Those weapons are legitimately used for target shooting, hunting, and personal protection. Assault weapons are for none of those. Honestly, if anyone believes they need an assault weapon for hunting or personal protection that just tells me that they are a terrible shot, and really shouldn't be firing a gun at all.

So, what this petition boils down to is that we, as a country, need to take a serious look at ourselves and decide what is more important. Owning a gun, an assault weapon specifically, or letting innocent children, adults, families live without fear of being shot randomly by someone who wants to own a gun just to hurt or kill people. We, the American people, need to stop letting the few, but loud, minority control the politicians and policies when it comes to guns. We, the American people, need to stop letting gun manufacturers, and the NRA, manipulate and pay off our elected officials when it comes to  gun legislation.

What I am suggesting is:

• Requiring a license, and proof of responsible gun handling ability, with testing if necessary.
• A 30 day wait on all gun purchases. No one needs a gun immediately.
• Universal background checks
• And, most importantly, a ban on all assault style military grade weapons.

In addition, here is one more thing for all of us, especially governments of all levels, to consider. I believe that if the local, state, and federal police want to have a better idea who may be of concern when it comes to gun safety, then they need to start looking at the people who find the need to purchase body armor.  Maybe the sales of body armor needs to be monitored? Think about it.  Who in their right mind needs body armor? Anyone purchasing body armor must believe that someone is going to be shooting back at them. Someone like the police? Someone like ATF? Makes you wonder doesn't it? Maybe this is what the policy makers should truly be looking at! Even more than the purchases of guns!

So, PLEASE, I beg of you, sign my petition so we can try to stop the mass shootings in our country.