The Second Amendment to the Constitution says: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

What I don’t understand is how the National Rifle Association takes these words to justify arming Americans with assault weapons designed to kill people.

These weapons are designed not for hunting, not for personal protection, but to kill lots of people.

Some of these good citizens maintain that they need them to protect us from the government.

Good luck with that since they have drones, troops, artillery, jet fighters and B-52s that will take out your pea shooter — AK-47s — really fast.

The Second Amendment was needed when our country was new and didn’t have a standing army, but the laws need to be changed to ban assault weapons.

The Second Amendment is heavily supported by the makers of these weapons.

Surveys show that a large percentage of Americans are ready for this change.

Rex Rice,

Port Townsend