Williamstown, VT gun owner, parent, businessman, school board member and candidate for the VT legislature, Rama Schneider, talks about why he supports criminal background checks on all guns sold in Vermont. 

My name is Rama Schneider, and I own a gun. I am writing as a father, husband and local school board member to tell you I believe we need to take some positive, common-sense actions regarding firearms.

My epiphany about this came a while back when I attended a local school safety committee presentation at the Williamstown Elementary School. This presentation included a description of the procedures that are followed during lockdown drills which are intended to prepare for the worst case scenario in a school -- primarily the threat of an in-school shooter intent on mayhem and mass murder.

I remember the heartbreak clearly visible on the faces of two teachers as they explained that once a classroom door was closed and locked, the safety of all the children in that classroom demanded the door remain closed and locked even if a young child found her or himself alone and unguarded in a hallway or elsewhere. I remember how a parent talked of her daughter returning home in a state of terror after one such such drill. And I remember how angry I got that evening thinking that THIS was the discussion so many in our state and country, including so many politicians, are willing to have, but we can not have any serious talk or action regarding the reason behind the presentation I was witnessing hundreds of millions of firearms floating around our nation in a basically uncontrolled fashion.

Vermonters are showing they can lead their politicians. A new survey reveals that 81% of Vermont's voters support requiring a criminal background check on all gun purchases. Since federal background checks for some gun purchases were put in place in 1998, more then 2 million gun purchases have been rejected for a variety of reasons. As a responsible gun owner I know that the most important thing we can do is to keep guns away from the bad guys and those who are a danger to themselves and others, and I agree with the vast majority of Vermonters who support these checks.

I thank you for caring.

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You can learn more about Rama's campaign platform at his website: http://rama4rep.us