Dear editor, An epidemic of handgun murders and suicides is happening in our country. Obtaining firearms is legal. However, our Constitution was written at a time when one’s needs were different than today, and so were the firearms.

The National Rifle Association defends the right to possess a firearm. However, there must be a distinction between automatic weapons and rifles. The manufacture and sale of automatic weapons must be outlawed in our country. We, as a nation, must be concerned with the welfare of our own people.

Craig Payne / Napa