Rep Richard Littlefield: Inanimate objects can't make the decision to hurt somebody

To The Daily Sun,

Does mental health cause gun violence, or do guns cause gun violence? That is the question posed by Eric Taussig in his latest letter to the editor.

The answer to that question is painfully simple. Mental health issues cause gun violence.

Most of the country owns at least one firearm and has never had an issue much less the need to go out and commit a serious crime.

For centuries the law-abiding have been just that, and criminals one way or another have procured weapons in most cases they should have never had.

Would we still have mental health issues in our country if the NRA had never been formed? Yes.

Would we continue to see violent crimes if guns had never been made to fight wars or in the old west for protection? Yes.

The fact of the matter is if every gun in the country was destroyed tomorrow criminals would use knives, bats, crowbars, or anything else they can find to commit crimes.

Ask yourself this question: Why do people continue to blame an inanimate object that can't simply make the decision to hurt somebody, and start blaming our woefully ineffective and broken mental health system?

Rep. Richard Littlefield

Laconia