The Democratic emotional rush to change the Constitution because of the tragedy in Connecticut is in keeping with the administration's "don't let a crisis go to waste" mentality. If these gun-control Democrats were serious about more than gutting the Constitution, they would first of all talk about the criminal using the gun. Not one of those "seize the guns" and "gut the Constitution" crowd has mentioned stiff penalties for using a weapon during a crime. Instead, liberal Democrats are pushing for the elimination of the death penalty, no matter how heinous the crime.

The liberal Democratic-controlled media fail to understand that as the Second Amendment is gutted, the First Amendment can likewise be gutted.

I hope Americans will not fall so prey to the "keep me safe mentality" that they are willing to surrender a valuable freedom: the right to keep and bear arms. It is time to tell liberals to punish the criminal--not the law-abiding citizen-- so forcefully that they will reconsider their plan to gut the Constitution in outpouring of emotion rather than reason. Once a freedom is surrendered to the government, it will never again be enjoyed by the people.

I am saddened by the tragic loss of children's lives, yet no liberal suggests banning automobiles kill more children than guns. It is time to punish, not plea-bargain, the criminal. A long time in jail, with no parole, to be served consecutively without early release--and death if you kill someone during the commission of a crime--will solve the gun-control issue.

David Green

Spotsylvania