I was deeply saddened and horrified by the Newtown shooting on Dec. 14. I was also exceedingly frustrated to hear the NRA, an organization that represents less than 2 percent of Americans, speak nothing of gun control, but argue for armed guards at every school.

This is not only expensive, but is also something that has not been shown to be effective. There were two armed guards at Colombine, who were unable to get a clean shot before 15 students were brutally murdered. There were armed guards at Fort Hood and at Virginia Tech, and this did not stop the death tolls there.

Not only should we reinstate the assault weapons ban, but also improve the background check program, close the gun show loophole, set a monthly limit of “one” to the number of guns one person can purchase at a time, annual registration of each gun a person owns (just as I have to register my car and my dog each year, it seems reasonable to do this with a lethal weapon), and make mandatory the reporting to authorities if a gun is stolen. Ban the sale of high-capacity clips and magazines, and limit the amount of ammunition a person can buy at one time.

Though politically it would be a challenge, only allowing federally-authorized dealers to sell guns would help to control some of the unfettered access to arms that potential murderers have.

It’s time for the NRA to stop speaking for the other 98 percent of Americans.

Elizabeth Rothe, Turner