Is there any feeling more unbearable than helplessness? Perhaps only seeing that feeling reflected on the faces of our country’s youth. Like so many others in our country, those faces have led me to reject impotence in favor of action and empowerment. I urge everyone to "Make the Promise" at sandyhookpromise.org and learn the actions you can take to create safer communities. 

I have heard the full litany of arguments against greater gun control from the absurd to the more reasonable. Those with the audacity to suggest that the 2nd Amendment may need amending, or who have the courage to voice the notion that our country can and must do better by its citizens, especially its children, are some of the most patriotic people I know, yet these individuals are cast as naive at best, subversive at worst. Passion and misunderstanding abound in the great gun debate. 

However, we must listen to those with whom we don’t agree, because that is the only way we gain insight, break free of fear and find common ground. What unites everyone in this complicated issue is the desire to decrease gun violence in our communities. Let us not rush to judgment and cast insults and instead show our children what a healthy, respectful debate looks like.

Kirsten Montgomery

North Stonington