Do you feel Russia is our biggest threat? If you have been watching the news lately, you would think so. In my mind, I think our biggest  threat  is homegrown. It is the firearms manufacturers. Back when Obama was president, I had written several letters to the editor on this subject. I didn’t feel anyone needed to own a gun or a magazine that held more than eight rounds. I got a lot of nasty letters to the editor back from local gun dealers and some phone calls from firearms owners that claimed they needed these new machine guns to go hunting for deer and  coyotes.

I sure don’t understand why they say they need these type weapons for hunting. If they didn’t get that deer or coyote on the first eight rounds, then I got news for them, that deer or coyote got away. I suggest that the government make it illegal to own one of this type of firearms. Pay a bounty on anyone turning their firearm and clips that are illegal. This would solve this problem immediately. The firearms companies have brainwashed those Republican gun owners that they are going to have all their guns taken away from them.

I know my suggestion will never make it, but it is better than Trump’s suggestion of voluntarily arming every teacher with a firearm. Anyone with a little bit of common sense knows how ridiculous that is. All that would do is let any shooter know that if he is going to invade a classroom and take out as many as he can that he is going to make the teacher the first victim.

I know of a lot of Democrats who own firearms and have an arsenal of firearms and have no fear of losing their guns. Back when Obama was president, he was stuck with a Republican Congress. The polls showed 91 percent of the American people wanted background checks  on every firearms sale. I believe it was voted down because those Republican congressmen were bought off by those firearms manufacturers. This is what I think the American people have for their biggest fear. The filthy rich are buying off our congressmen. It is obvious who suggested arming all the teachers. It was the firearm companies, so they could sell more guns and everyone knows they own the Republican Party. The way it is now, any average Joe who can pass a background check can go and buy any type of machine gun he wants and turn around and sell it to anyone he wants without getting a background check. That person could go out and shoot a dozen people and have a bad background. There is nothing the government can do to that average Joe who sold that firearm to him. But let that average Joe furnish liquor to a minor, and they go out kill a bunch of people with his car and then see what the government would do to that average Joe. Doesn’t make sense, does it?

Wayne Thorson

Albert Lea