The recent terrorist event in San Bernardino truly shows how divided our country has become, especially on something like gun control. Some of those in the more liberal media outlets have used terms like urban assault rifles and assault clothing in regard to what weapons and clothing the two terrorists were wearing or using. Many of our Founding Fathers wanted citizens of the newly-founded country to be able to own weapons without fear of government repression because they knew what it was like to oppressed by the King of England.

For those of us that believe in the freedom of owning weapons, an assault rifle is a weapon that can be fired either on full automatic or semiautomatic at the user’s choice. Although it is possible to own an automatic weapon, the process is very complicated and far too long to discuss in this column. But the problem with that process is that it makes it hard for the average citizen to purchase one while a criminal circumvents the law and purchases one on the black market.

In Europe, where the guns laws are much more restrictive than in the United States, fully automatic weapons fall into the hands of criminals and terrorists. The problem there is that money does talk. What’s even scarier is that even more powerful weapons can be had if one has money.

I grew up in a household that had many weapons including shotguns, high-powered rifles like a .30-30 rifle and when I was a teenager I purchased a semiautomatic .22 Rimfire rifle that could shoot something like 20 rounds of ammunition.

I attended a gun safety class before obtaining my first hunting license at age 16 and luckily one of my brothers was the instructor so I had transportation to the class because otherwise I couldn’t have attended it. Believe me, there was absolutely no favoritism in that classroom which was held in our high school.

That same brother taught me how to read a topographical map, which helped me in the military. In the country of Vietnam, especially the jungles, it was hard to get a reference point in order to correctly use a map. Nowadays it’s all GPS and smart phones while people still get lost. Go figure.

What I find interesting in gun control discussions is that terrorists use assault weapons and assault clothing while police officers using similar items have tactical weapons and tactical gear. I believe law enforcement needs the tools that are necessary to maintain law and order but the increasing use of surplus military weapons and equipment has become scary as far as I am concerned. Some of the weapons given to law enforcement in larger cities have included automatic weapons and even rocket launchers, which surprises me. I just hope that they receive the training necessary to properly use those weapons without killing innocent civilians. What I find even more disgusting is that some people are going out of their way to prove, even provoke, the police into doing something wrong and they are right there with cameras to prove it.

Isn’t it absolutely amazing that the people on the No-Fly List can legally purchase weapons in our country, which is undoubtedly the only thing that President Obama and I will ever agree on. What is even more ludicrous is they aren’t in custody in the first place and can freely travel except by airplane. Another problem is that the government is notorious about running any program properly and often innocent people with similar names end up on the No-Fly List and don’t even know until they try to board an airplane. I think that it is reasonable that those individuals should be able to sue the government for its mistakes in order to make government more accountable. Trust in government is declining and Donald Trump, now with a commanding lead in the polls, proves it.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham believes gun control is a witless protection program because an unarmed citizen is truly defenseless against terrorists or, for that matter, any other criminal as well.