Letter from Emily Nottingham to President Obama

94 Jeanne Marie Laskas July 23, 2012 Ms. Emily Nottingham Tucson AZ Dear President Obama, When my son was killed in the Tucson mass murders last year, you asked if there was anything you could do. There is. I am asking you to support some reasonable steps to protect your citizens. Reinstating the ban on assault weapons and extended magazine clips should be a simple step to make our public places more safe for citizens. Our rights of assembly are threatened. I believe that you can be a vigorous supporter of the second amendment and still support modest regulation of weapons of mass murder. If you will not oppose the NRA, then seek out the support of the NRA in this gun safety measure. My son was killed in the mass murder in Tucson. Now it has happened again and more young people have been senselessly murdered by a stranger in a public place armed with weapons designed to kill many people very quickly. Enforcement of existing laws is not a sufficient response; additional steps are necessary to restrict easy access to weapons of mass murder. The Tucson shooter was not diagnosed as mentally ill when he legally purchased these super-lethal weapons; I would not be surprised if the Aurora shooter also had no such diagnosis. We need to look at the weapons themselves. Please consider being a leader on this issue; others will follow behind you. Thank you for thinking seriously about this and seeking a resolution. Emily Nottingham