Local veteran says there needs to be more discussion about gun ownership responsibilities
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A local Marine veteran says following the Uvalde school shooting, he's heard about a lot of talk about rights, but not responsibilities when it comes to gun ownership.
Joe Jenkins served in the United States Marine Corps for five years, fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom and handling the same style of weapon used by the Uvalde school shooter.
"We used the M16A4 and the AR platform because it's the best at what it does," he said. "It's an easy to fire, very accurate and very damaging weapon that we used to destroy our enemies."
Before Jenkins was allowed to carry it, he had to go through psychological checks, medical checks and three months of extensive training.
"You don't even touch a weapon until you're literally drilled about weapon safety and handling and even then, we don't actually have live ammunition except in very strict training requirements and training backgrounds."
He says knowing someone can walk into a gun store in Texas and legally purchase the same style of weapon without any training makes him feel severely uncomfortable, especially given he's a high school physics teacher who is responsible for students.
"I know they're terrified," he said. "I'm terrified to know that the weapon that I carried could come through the back door of my school. I know what that gun can do."
As a member of the organization Vets for the People, he's working to raise awareness and pushing for stricter gun laws.
"Universal background checks, red flag laws, waiting periods, maybe raising the minimum age, just some level of accountability that you don't see anywhere," he said. "Why can't we treat everyone like we treat a private in the United States Marine Corps when it comes to gun safety? Why? It just doesn't make any sense to me."
Vets for the People has been writing politicians and sharing their message on social media. This weekend they plan to attend the March for Our Lives.