President Obama has a vicious wolf by the tail. He can’t hold it, and he can’t let it go. When it starts killing babies, something has to be done. Assault weapons and large-capacity magazines must be restrained.

This is about our civilization. From stones to spears and swords to guns, civilization has been a search for less violent ways to resolve disputes. The quest is to find ways for a diversity of people to live in the same geographic area with the least amount of friction. Conflicts are often rooted in greed, selfishness and alienation.

Neighbors turned to education, their churches, laws and law enforcement as better ways for resolving disagreements. And what marvelous progress we have made. Now we only need guns to protect our homes, obtain food, shoot snakes, kill deer that eat crops and shoot dogs that suck eggs and kill chickens. Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are not needed; they do too much harm.

Outside of the military, and perhaps law enforcement, they are only used for nefarious purposes. The notion that they may be needed for armed insurrection against government officials has been replaced with the ballot.

So let us proceed with vigor to tranquilize and defang that vicious wolf. I call upon preachers, Sunday school teachers, other educators and organizations to join the chorus in appealing to the better angels of our nature.

O’Neal Smalls

Columbia