State Republican Leader: Throttle Back Rhetoric on Guns

By Bruce AshI never owned a gun as a kid but I frequently went shooting with my father, grandfather and sisters. My sisters and I all learned how to shoot in the same NRA safety course. It was great fun. I still enjoy shooting just as much today with my two sons. So do millions of Americans.

Today we live in an over reactive society … Yes, we've had some horrible tragedies but the tendency today is to over react to anything related to guns. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard about the lad whose crime was brandishing a toy Lego gun on the bus or the young school yard hero playing Army-- throwing a pretend grenade to save his fellow soldiers. Kid stuff. Not violence.

The mood here in Tucson is just as goofy -- gun buy backs & restrictive gun ordinances . Even a friend who has been playing tennis at a local high school for years turned away because the school is on "lock down" after Sandy Hook?

American men and women, it's time we throttle back the rhetoric and politically correct talk. Let kids be kids. Approach American violence with reason--not over reaction. Before we cross over the line removing basic liberties Americans have enjoyed for over two centuries let's take a real deep breath.

Bruce Ash has been the Republican National Committeeman for Arizona since 2007 and currently serves on the RNC Standing Committee Resolutions and chairs the Standing Committee on Rules.