Born in 1945, I’m considered a “Baby Boomer.”

Unlike many others my age, I am not afraid to admit we failed in pressing U.S. Congress to take a stronger stand on gun control and end the political stranglehold the National Rifle Association (NRA) has on our elected officials.

I own guns and am an occasional hunter. I have no need to own a military-style assault weapon that can kill scores of people in minutes; nor does any other civilian.

Measures that include banning such weapons from civilians, requiring universal background checks and instituting age restrictions in no way represent a “slippery slope” in taking away all of people’s weapons. That’s a fallacy and scare tactic used by the NRA, narrow-minded politicians and those involved in the lucrative weapons marketing business.

In drafting the Second Amendment, our founding fathers did not envision such automatic and semi-automatic weapons in their statement about the right to keep and bear arms.

I am proud of the hundreds of thousands of youth and others in the U.S. and across the world who marched March 24 in protest of horrendous gun violence in our country.

For the most part, my generation essentially sat on its hands and allowed the proliferation of our country’s gun culture that has resulted in the senseless slaughter of many people, including innocent children. My generation also turned a blind eye on the serious mental health issues that have festered and are at the root of much of our nation’s violence.

It’s finally time for us to stand up and support the youth of our nation who are calling out loudly for action. Many of them will soon be voters.

If no action on gun control is taken in Congress, I believe we will certainly see some surprising results in the 2018 mid-term election and definitely in the 2020 presidential election.

Frank E Baker
Eagle River