Putney resident Steve Ingram shares how his own personal experience with gun violence has shaped his support for criminal background checks on most all guns sold in VT.

In August of 1968 my Uncle Joe was murdered in broad daylight while walking his dog in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. His murder remains an unsolved mystery.

I was 17 at the time---old enough to understand what had happened but not yet wise enough to perceive what it would signify in my life. Now, at 63 years of age, I get it.

The world is a big place and I have come to realize that the best I can do is try to keep my own little corner tidy. Fortunately Vermont is a small enough place that I consider it part of “my corner”. A big contributor to that tidiness would be passing sensible legislation that makes all gun sales in Vermont subject to mandatory background checks.

I am convinced that passing the background check bill that will be introduced in the Vermont Senate this January will save lives. 

Steve Ingram,
Putney, VT