The horrific tragedy at Parkland, FL has affected me on a deep level. I have children the same age as those who were savagely gunned down. I used to be a supporter of "the people's right to bear arms." I no longer hold that view for three very specific reasons.

1) That right was signed into law at our country's founding when citizens carried muskets and the most powerful weapon on earth was a brass cannon that shot a 2 - 6lb lead ball. The world has vastly changed since the Revolutionary War but the 2nd Amendment has not.

2) Weapons of war should simply not be available to anyone not engaged in war. An AK-47 or AR-15 is a weapon of war.

3) The state of background checks for purchasing a fire arm of any kind is a completely broken system. If current background checks were effective the 19 year old shooter at Parkland with his troubled history would not own a gun. And in fact he owned 10.

I am known by my books and films about war which of course is violent. But if you've seen any of my films or read any of my books you'll know they have never been about guns or violence. They are about humanity's capacity to rise above the horror (war) that surrounds them find grace and persevere. And that as a society is what we have to do now.

This atrocity has landed on our doorstep and in the nation's consciousness for one very powerful reason. It is time for our society to decide what we will and will not permit to stand. Everyone must ask themselves, "does the right to permit someone to carry arms supersede our children's right to live in safety without fear?"

It is clear that things in this country need to change. The tipping point has been passed. Below is a PSA produced in March 2018 by U.S. military veterans which illustrates EXACTLY what I am speaking about.


The time has come to say NO MORE because it is up to us to create the world we want to live in. The majority of the population believes and in fact demands that they and their children have the right to live their lives in safety free from fear. That is a divine right more powerful than the minority who believe the right to bear arms and the gun laws that support them should stay the way they are. No they should not.

Robert Child