Dear Editor: The President of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, said, “A culture of life cannot tolerate, and must prevent, senseless gun violence in all it’s forms.” How true!

The shooter in Sutherland, Texas, used an AR-556 with 15 magazines holding 30 rounds each. This weapon is just like the Army’s M-16. The shooter in Las Vegas had thousands of rounds of ammunition and over a dozen essentially fully automatic weapons.

These were two of the worst mass shootings in our history. But maybe even more tragic, in the barely five weeks between these mass shootings, from Oct. 1 to Nov. 6, over 4,300 additional people were shot. And 1,385 died. Each year in our nation, over 35,000 people die as a result of the gun epidemic.

America is awash in guns. No one needs a military style assault rifle for hunting or target practice or to defend himself or herself. No one needs clips holding thirty rounds of ammunition. I believe that we as Catholics have a responsibility to protect life, to make our voices heard and stop the devastation. We need to vote for candidates who support gun control.

PAUL CONLON

Jamaica