I'm a "lefty" and i am pro 2nd amendment. Education and opportunity is the way to stop violence in the USA. Hopeless, uneducated, ill people will cause problems in society, top to bottom. The rise in mass shootings parallels the changes that were made to the education system by the Reaganites. The emphasis was taken off educating and put on "socializing" instead. "Socializing" or being a yes man or good worker is more important to the Republicans because they can control dumb "well socialized" citizens than smart self motivated, proactive citizens. Mindless mass consumption is the rightwing ideology not free health living. Now as for me, I referred to myself as a "lefty" to start this off but i am not a "Stalinist or evil communist" like the bullsh-t fake "Faux" Fox News give people nightmares about. I just believe that nobody is an island and everybody is in this together. So a "social safety net" is obviously the whole point of having government and paying taxes Heck left dont mean "Authoritarian". I own a business, am ceo of it too, I am a believer in personal freedom and social responsibility. Yep, at the same time.. Our government "of, by, and for the people" has been sold out from under us. Sold to the same few super rich people that have owned most of "western" society since the before the Revolutionary War. America was formed out of a need to have opportunities in life. To be able to work towards a better life. To form a truly merit based system. In reality America "The Land if Opportunity" was a lie. The cast system is just as real here as it is everywhere. You are to work and the few are to get the rewards. Our Revolution was sold to us by the rich so they could stop paying taxes to the King. Not to give you a better life . Hell good old Ben Franklin bragged laughingly that he had tricked people into fighting and dying for fake worthless cash he himself had printed. You see the wealthy didn't care if the world was made better. Their world was just fine already. They just wanted a little bit more. A little bit more power, status, legend, money... to add to their already rich lives. And that brings me back to the beginning, the 2nd amendment. The 2nd even as a symbol is very powerful. It gives the people a mandate to oversee our government and to overthrow it if it becomes corrupted. Nobody thinks an AR15 is going to take out the U.S Army but its the mandate, the symbolism that is. Without it we are much weaker. Even if the Revolution is fought in the mind the 2nd amendment is important if its just as a threat to those that would attempt to subvert our democracy...