The rampage of shootings in Richmond has caused horrific damage to families and neighborhoods. In August and September, there were a total of 502 shootings in Richmond. Many of these had multiple victims, including fatalities. The problem is out of control.

It is obvious that our elected city officials cannot stop the carnage. I’m not convinced that they want to. The shootings in Richmond will continue as long as Democrats are in charge.

I’m insulted when an official holds a media event to offer an insincere and disingenuous show of sympathy and offer bromides such as “Enough is enough” and “We need to build bridges.” Please notice these only occur when an innocent child is shot or murdered. These press conferences are nothing more than political stunts.

I must point out that poverty does not cause crime. The thugs who commit crimes have a lack of values, have not been socialized and have not learned right from wrong. It is not my purpose here to speculate why some boys born out of wedlock, and raised by young girls on welfare without a father in the home, decide to lead a life of crime. Throwing money at community programs will not solve the problem.

At the state level, members of the General Assembly cannot agree on a solution. The Republicans want to separate the criminals from society so they cannot do further harm. The Democrats reject this common sense solution. The Democrats in the General Assembly are getting their marching orders from national leaders and big donors to wage war on honest law-abiding gun owners. Their goal is to ban and confiscate all privately owned legal firearms. They want only the government — military and police — to have firearms because they know they cannot install a socialist government in America with an armed populace. If you think the police are brutal now, you ain’t seen nothing.

Earlier this year, Virginia Democrats passed the universal background check, the one-gun-a-month and red flag laws that will not stop crime. Those laws make it more difficult for honest citizens to exercise their right to own firearms so they can defend themselves and their loved ones from such things as a tyrannical government.

The only way to continue enjoying the liberties and rights of being a citizen of our republic and not become a slave to a tyrannical government is to stop voting for Democrats and Democratic incumbents in all city, state and national elections. For example, vote for Leon Benjamin for the U.S. House of Representatives and Donald Trump for president.

Vote for Republicans whenever possible.

MIKE WILSON

Richmond