When the 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights became part of the U.S. Constitution, it said the following: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”

At that period of time in our history, single-shot muskets were used and were loaded one shot at a time. The authors had no vision that citizens 231 years later could be armed with multi-shot automatic weapons that had the capacity to kill many citizens at a time. However, the authors of the Constitution did provide us with a very flexible document so that lawmakers could pass legislation when needed without interfering with the basic premise of the 2nd Amendment.

In order to safeguard schools (as well as the general public), the following gun control legislation could be proposed: universal background checks (with a comprehensive mental health component), a five-day waiting period for purchasing a firearm, an age requirement of 21 and up to purchase a firearm. And semi-automatic and military assault rifles should be banned.

Our children are our most precious resource. They need to be loved and protected. Their safety while attending our Maine schools has to be a top priority.

I challenge the Maine Legislature to pass a comprehensive gun control bill.

Bob Chaplin

Bar Harbor