READERS WRITE: MAY 1

NRA backers benefit from commonsense gun laws

Question for the NRA: Upon review of the gun laws for Washington, D.C., it seems the following are banned: automatic firearms, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, silencers, high-capacity magazines, assault weapons, .50-caliber BMG rifles and open carry. Why is it that our politicians and president are protected by these reasonable gun laws, yet many would have our school children and citizenry live in the crosshairs of any evil or unstable person who obtains a weapon and decides to open fire? I’m wondering, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, what would happen if a law-abiding citizen attempted to enter the gallery of either house of Congress and lay a weapon on the table while listening to debate? After all, a gun “doesn’t shoot by itself.”

PENNY BLOCKER, ALPHARETTA

Dems obstruction of Trump’s simply un-American

If you are a member of the Democratic Party and agree with and participate in the extreme level of resistance and obstruction now occurring against President Trump, you can accurately be called un-American. This resistance is directed at a duly elected president, rooted in the left wing's radical policies that will eventually take away more of our freedoms and leave us with an even bigger oppressive government. The political radicalism now being shown by the Democratic Party has created a disturbing level of distrust and hate in this country. Its success in vilifying and disrupting the orderly transfer of power to the Trump presidency couldn't have happened without the almost total cooperation of our so-called unbiased, fair, mainstream media. When the news media wields the power of press to destroy an individual citizen or, in this case, a sitting president, we should all be concerned and wonder who will be next in the news media's cross hairs. TOM GAMBESKI, CANTON