It may be time for a repeal of the Second Amendment. For some I know that this is heresy, but if the Congress won’t act on getting automatic multi-shot weapons out of circulation, I know the two sides will not agree.

I am not calling for the elimination of gun ownership for defense. Almost 20 years since Columbine, six since Sandy Hook and now Parkland. Enough. When the Second Amendment was written in 1778, then ratified in 1791, half of the 55 men who wrote it owned slaves. The first 10 out of 12 presidents owned slaves. They did not have a standing army. Each state had militias, as males 18-45 were required to serve in the tracking down of slaves, and to bring their own weapon.

A standing army never came about until after the War of 1812. The arms then were single shot. We gained independence from England after they garrisoned thousands of troops in the colonists' homes. There was no desire for a standing army to do the same.

There is absolutely no way we can understand their thoughts and experiences in 1776 with the experiences of 2018. The founders gave us the opportunity to amend the Constitution as times change. We should call for our legislators to repeal and rewrite. Enough.

Joe Josephides

East Lyme