I’ve lived in Mancos and Cortez for over 20 years, but I arrived here from Las Vegas, went to UNLV, had many old college friends as well as many business associates. This background is important because though I did not know Stephen Paddock, he was a respected and wealthy member of my community.
He murdered 58 young people and wounded 100 with an assault-style weapon complete with bump stock. Neither wait nor age limits nor mental test requirements would have reduced this slaughter of college students and other young adults with babies who are now orphans. These were the outdoor concertgoers on a warm Vegas night, only a few years older than our recently murdered babies.
Stephen Paddock was 64 years old and had neither a violent history nor record of mental instability. Nothing could have warned authorities that such insane behavior was possible.
My point is simply that assuming age limits on our young people is neither effective nor in any way fair. I’m a gun owner and have been since I was very young. I hunted small game and was well trained. I can only hope the same for future hunters.
Assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines and, of course, bump stocks should be acceptable only to the military. There is absolutely no reason for them to share any school, public venue or community with the rest of us. And, yes, I’m well aware that thousands of these weapons are already in public hands. So, does that mean we must continue to feed the beast?
Terry Marsden
Cortez