First off, let me say I am not opposed to hunting, target shooting or the possession of a gun. Farmers need guns for the control of pests.  What I fail to understand is the desire or need to own an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine. Such weapons are designed for the military — for mass destruction of life. Where do you draw the line — a rocket or grenade launcher? Machine guns were outlawed long ago.

When I read that that some of the children in Newtown were riddled with as many as 16 bullets (the kind that are designed to fracture bones and macerate flesh and organs) I was sickened, as were most Americans.

The rush to buy such weapons of mass destruction increased dramatically following that incident, resulting from those fearing that it would cause arms restrictions. Those neanderthal idiots with testosterone poisoning, who were vowing to take up arms against the government, should that occur, are the least desirable persons to be in possession of weapons of any kind.

Background checks should be required for all gun sales, including private sales. This would necessitate the registration of guns, similar to that of car registration.

If you own a car, it must be registered with the state. You must have a license to drive it and pass a test to obtain that license. The registration must be transferred if you sell it.

Australia was mentioned by one of the recent letters to the editor as a failure in gun control. I disagree. After several high-profile multiple murders there, the government banned semi-automatic and automatic weapons and had a compulsory buy-back program. Homicide and suicide by firearms dropped dramatically. America had 30,000 deaths by firearms in 2012. That is equivalent to almost half the population of Redmond.

I think assault weapons and high-capacity magazines should be outlawed. We should have a limited time buy-back program for them and any person found to be in possession of them should be fined and prosecuted.

The obstacle to federal gun control is political, not constitutional. Even Justice Scalia has said that the Second Amendment should not stop the U.S. from banning certain weapons, that the amendment leaves room for gun control.

We can’t prevent every incident from happening. Does that mean we should do nothing?

Gail Bjorkman, Redmond