Our governor and lieutenant governor and other elected leaders could learn valuable lessons by watching some of the old westerns on TV.

At my age I have begun to enjoy old western movies quite a bit as my weekly entertainment. Most of them have a basic formula featuring some well-known cowboy.

Usually the hero, a sheriff or marshal, is called on to establish law and order in a town that is beset by robberies, kidnappings, assaults or other violent crimes. Our hero is to stop the wave of crimes and tame the city so that citizens can be duly safe and proud of their town.

The tactic most often used to restore peace by the would-be hero is to stop allowing wild cowboys and others bringing their six shooters to town. Wyatt Earp for example, was famous for requiring gun totters to deposit their six shooters with him in order to be able to enter the local saloon and enjoy some alcoholic libation. Usually subject to the tactic used by the hero sheriff worked to do away with quick-draw contests, band robberies and other violence in the community.

Only a short time ago the things we could count on being in our morning paper on a regular basis were the weather report and sports scores. Now it seems, we are greeted with the latest amount of shootings which have occurred since the day before. Sadly, it seems we see the accounts of mass shootings so often we are becoming used to such reports. Too many of us are accepting our leaders’ answers that “thoughts and prayers” and mental health will take care of the problem. I was told once long ago that when praying for a fire, it’s very helpful to strike the match as you pray. Unfortunately, for us in our nation, our leaders seem too fearful of “striking the match” and offending organizations like the National Rifle Association.

We have allowed the well-organized and well-funded lobby to control our Congress and state government. By not speaking out we allow our leaders to continue doing nothing to stem America’s epidemic of needless gun deaths, outstripping every other nation in the world in such violence besetting our population. We have bought into the lie that some unknown force, or someone unnamed will take our property, freedom, guns or lives if we are not well armed.

There is no logical reason for us to worship the second amendment by allowing the sale of weapons of war, or having access of gun ownership to those too immature to be trusted with their use.

I have been a gun owner since I was eleven years old as well as a licensed gun dealer for a short period of time. I firmly belief it is way past time for American citizens to demand action on the part of our elected leaders and bring about reasonable, needed reforms related to gun ownership and use.