Gun amendment is reckless

As an advocate for "reasonable" gun laws providing for safety and protection of citizens, I am writing in response to the Oct. 20 community letter urging a “yes” vote on the gun amendment to the Iowa Constitution. I can only urge you to vote “no.”

The writer contends "America doesn't have a gun problem." Really? There are 120.5 firearms per 100 residents in the U.S. Compared to other high-income countries firearm homicide is 25 times higher in the U.S. Firearm suicide is 8 times higher. One American is shot every 5 minutes. One American dies by gunfire every 14 minutes. 323 Americans are shot and 104 die by guns every day. Gun violence is the No. 1 cause of death for children according to the New England Journal of Medicine as of 2020.

In Iowa, 302 people die by guns on average each year. There has been an 80 percent increase in homicides by gun in Iowa from 2019 to 2020. This is the same time our Republican Legislature eliminated gun safety training, gun permits, and background checks.

Seventy-eight percent of all gun deaths in Iowa are suicides.

The writer of the letter states that it is "an increasingly behavioral problem," that is causing gun violence. I worked in the mental health field for over 20 years. We have always had behavioral problems. This will not change. We have more gun violence and gun deaths because people can get more guns. It stands to 'reason.'

Vote no on the reckless gun amendment.

Marcia Swift

Cedar Rapids