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Letter: Unlike politicians, teens can afford to tell the truth about guns

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) This Feb. 21, 2018 file photo shows students at the entrance to the office of Florida Gov. Rick Scott with boxes of petitions for gun control reform, at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. Over a dozen students and teachers were killed on Valentine's Day in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The latest mass shooting at the Florida high school has some pondering the improbable: Could this one actually bring some measure of change?

The teens who are attempting to lead our nation in a more constructive direction regarding gun ownership are amazing and give me hope for a saner, brighter future for our country. They can afford to be undiplomatic and loud because they are not politicians and do not rely on fundraising to campaign for election or re-election to office.

How refreshing it would be if we could eliminate or reduce the amount of money necessary to run for office and re-election to that office. The NRA and other groups spend large sums of money to help many of our politicians campaign over long (expensive) months of campaigning. These politicians, in turn, become advocates for special interests like the NRA.

What if we limited the campaigns to a few months, as is done in other countries? A short campaign period would greatly reduce the amount of money needed to campaign. By reducing the cost, we could greatly reduce or eliminate the necessity for all kinds of special interest money on both sides of the aisle as well as the need for constant fund-raising efforts. The large amount of time spent in fundraising detracts from our members of Congress’ time to do their jobs.

Steven M. Ross, Salt Lake City