Will sheriff pledge to protect our children?

On Jan. 17, Sheriff Daryl Wheeler issued a strongly-worded statement vowing to uphold the Second Amendment rights of the citizens of Bonner County.

The statement did not say anything about what strategies are being implemented to protect our children from gun violence, nor did it outline any plans for identifying and seizing illegally-held weapons, nor did it address the problem of weapons in the hands of mentally ill persons.

The primary reason we vote a sheriff into office is to protect our families and our community. Purely by omission, it appears that a pledge to protect our children from gun violence is not high on the list of the sheriff’s priorities.

Arming ourselves to the teeth is not any kind of a meaningful solution. Please, let us leave the bravado to the politicians and instead pledge to develop meaningful strategies to keep our children safe.

STEPHEN AUGUSTINE

Sandpoint