To the Editor:

[October 6] is another heartbreaking day in America. The majority of Senate Republicans and Democrat Joe Manchin, ignoring the pleas from hundreds of families and survivors directly impacted by gun violence, cast their votes to confirm an NRA-supported judge to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sending Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court sends a terrifying message that not only is sexual violence against women acceptable, but unlimited gun ownership of assault weapons takes precedence over protecting the lives of the American people.

Across America, hundreds of thousands of families have had their lives torn apart by gun violence. Too many lives have been cut short, and too many Americans are living their daily lives with physical and mental scars from gun violence. With Judge Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, we expect the body count from gun violence to increase more than it has in recent years.

In a 2011 challenge to Washington DC’s Assault Weapons Ban, Judge Kavanaugh split from all others in the DC Circuit Court by arguing that it is unconstitutional to ban assault weapons. Even conservative Justice Antonin Scalia argued that the Second Amendment right is “not unlimited” and that there is no “right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” Therefore, “dangerous and unusual” weapons can be banned under the Second Amendment.

By giving Brett Kavanaugh a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court, common sense and the will of the American people were blatantly ignored, and our country will become a deadlier place to live. Americans will not forget that Senators Susan Collins, Jeff Flake, and Joe Manchin cast their heartless and spineless votes to support a judge with extreme views on gun ownership in America.

The majority of Americans support commonsense gun laws. 97 percent of Americans stand with us in support of background checks on all gun sales, and 67 percent support a ban on assault weapons. Judge Kavanaugh does not share the same views as the majority of Americans. His record indicates that he has perverted the interpretation of the Second Amendment to promote the gun lobby’s agenda over public safety. We were not surprised when the National Rifle Association launched its seven-figure national and regional ad campaign to get him confirmed.

Judge Kavanaugh is the most extreme Second Amendment Supreme Court nominee to be confirmed in modern history. His confirmation is a dark victory for the radical, scorched earth policies of the NRA, and we will sleep less peacefully. We will go to schools, theaters, nightclubs, concerts, malls, work, houses of worship, and other public spaces worried that we could become the next victim of a mass shooting or everyday gun violence. If Kavanaugh acts on his stated beliefs, no state or local authority will have the power to say no to extreme gun policies. Still, we will fight on by continuing to push for commonsense gun laws and voting for candidates who say no to NRA money.

Po Murray

38 Charter Ridge Drive, Sandy Hook         October 10, 2018