Opinion: An Open Letter to Chip Roy, U.S. Representative, Member of Congress

Dear Representative Roy:

My name is Greg Swimelar. I am an American citizen and a retired Texas school principal in your congressional district. I have a granddaughter who is 5 years old today – who attends pre-kindergarten in your district. I want a safe school for her and for all American children.

I am extremely upset about your continued support of civilian acquisition and use of military semi-automatic weapons, especially in light of the current situation which scares the bejesus out of every youngster in America as they approach their school building every morning. And can you imagine what it is like to teach under these conditions?

You can consider the examples of Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, and other countries that have solved this problem – and solved it rather quickly. But you, Cruz, and other Republicans in Texas hold dear to the talking points that you receive from the monied forces that take care of your lunches and campaign funds. You are all cowards. You put self-gain, party affiliation, cronyism, and dark money interests over the safety of our children. That is despicable. You should be ashamed of yourself. You bring shame on our great country and our great state.

Do you ever reevaluate your positions? Have you no courage to speak up at party caucuses and ask, "Hey, maybe we should reconsider the appropriateness of citizens having legal use of AR-15s … I mean they were designed for military use – and their only purpose is to kill people." Oh, but you still think that you and a clique of far-right-wingers will one day have to fight against the Union? Come on man, get serious. The Union won – and thank God they did.

Have you looked at the snapshots of the 7- to 9-year-old youngsters and their teachers who were massacred in Uvalde? Have you looked at their unidentifiable bodies that lay dead or dying in their classroom? You must do that. And if you cannot find within yourself the good will to admit that a change in course is necessary then you should resign your position and make room for someone who is a problem-solver.

I beg you to muster up some courage and become an effective leader. If all you want to do is to raise campaign funds and keep your elected position, then you are not serving in the tradition of Republican representatives who came before you and will come after you. I hope you will go off by yourself and reflect on your duty to our country and its citizens and our innocent children who don't need to be subjected to this; who don't need to be engaging in drills and practicing how to hide from domestic terrorists that you, yes you, support.

I leave you with the statement of Warren Burger, a conservative former chief justice of the Supreme Court appointed by a Republican, Richard Nixon:

"The gun lobby's interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud on the American people by special interest groups that I have seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires."

I call upon your sense of good will that you will not only revise your position on military weapons in the hands of teenagers and other civilians, but you will also find the courage to influence leaders in your party to make an about-face on this issue.

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Gregory Swimelar is a retired Austin ISD school principal.