I would like to hear somebody explain – coherently, credibly and in a fact-based way – why it is necessary to have, in this country, a legal right for a person to own assault weapons and military-grade ammunition designed to inflict maximum damage to human bodies.

Why is there not an equally vehement defense and legal protection of the right of people to be safe – in a dance club, in a classroom, in the streets, in a movie theater, in our own homes, in our churches? Who defends the rights of “we, the people” who simply want to live our lives in peace, free from fear and harm?

Ellen D. Murphy

Portland