To the Editor:
A Change.org Petition caught national attention recently because it sought to openly carry firearms at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. The argument went like this..."Ohio is an open carry state... and all three remaining Republican candidates have spoken out on the issue and are unified in their opposition to 'gun free zones'". The petition garnered so much press that the Secret Service had to weigh in and infuse some common sense. Is this the new Republican Platform - to eliminate "gun free zones" including our schools and allow guns everywhere? Will Republicans elected at the local level adopt these more extreme positions fueled by Trump and Cruz to fire up the base or will they reflect more moderate views of their constituency? What will Rep. Comstock do? It's hard to get straight answers making us rely on her past votes and positions. When it comes to guns, the position she took in March 2015 gives us a glimpse. Early last year the Federal Government through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) proposed a ban on armor-piercing bullets to protect law enforcement. House lawmakers wrote a letter directing the ATF to abandon the proposal. Although more moderate Republicans stayed off of the letter, Rep. Comstock signed on. ATF surrendered and armor-piercing bullets remain on the market today. If keeping armor-piercing bullets on the market is among Rep. Comstock's priorities it appears she just may be aligned with the Trump and Cruz ideology.
Michelle Sandler
McLean