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I am livid!  My grandparents all came here at the beginning of the 20th century to escape economic turmoil and violence.  All of their children became successful.

My father learned English in kindergarten and graduated magna cum laude from dental school having a very successful practice there in Austin. 

They would all be dismayed  how this country has turned into a  place where it is no longer safe to go to a theater, church, synagogue, supermarket, school, parade, etc.  I get so angry at those who continue to spout the right to “bare arms” when those guns were muskets at the time of writing that amendment, not AK-15’s or any other kind of rapid killing machine.  No one needs anything but a 22 rifle to kill game.

I hear the old mantra of “we’ll pray for them.” That does absolutely no good to those who lost a husband, a wife, a child , a father, a mother — none what-so-ever!  We need to stop being a country of hatred and violence which has been exponentially increasing since Trump came into office with his rhetoric of disdain for anyone who is unpigmented in their skin tone.   Start getting involved by talking to your legislative representative to do something that will work to get these instruments of destruction off our streets.

I’m not a football fan, but I do appreciate the desire to celebrate and to now have 49 mass shootings so far this year, no other country in the world has this kind of nearly daily violence. Is this really the country you want your children to inherit and grow old in?   

Roberta Mistretta

Austin, MN