To the editor:

Guns are only half of our problem; the other half is our nation’s morals.

Handguns are most of the problem. No one needs a handgun except to shoot at or defend themselves. If there were no handguns, then people would not need one to defend themselves. No type of automatic weapon should be sold.

What if someone were to use a knife or a club to rob or harm me? Well there are stun guns, pepper spray, and other products that don’t kill that are available.

If you have a criminal record, mental illness, or history of violence, you should get the same sentence if you use a gun.

I hunted since I was 13 years old and I never had a handgun or any type of automatic weapon. You do not need any type of automatic weapon to shoot deer, turkeys, rabbits, or squirrels.

Law enforcement should have access to all types of weapons. Get all handguns and automatic weapons out of public hands and you will stop most of the killings in this country.

If a person uses a weapon of any type, it should be a crime if it is used to harm another person. If it is a minor using a weapon, even if it is a legal weapon, the parents or guardian should be held accountable. Accountable should be a six-month sentence regardless of how they got this weapon. That would stop a lot of their violence.

If a weapon is used for a robbery or holdup, the sentence should be an automatic 10 years. If that weapon is discharged with intent to harm or kill, the sentence should be automatically 20 years. If you kill or disable someone, it should be life in prison, bar none.

Violence is taught on television, video games, and in our homes. It needs to be addressed in our homes first and in our schools. Television should be for learning how to live, not how to kill or be an outlaw. Get violence off the air and out of video games.

Tom Sunderland

Laurinburg