SECOND AMENDMENT
Permit system could
screen gun purchases
Another killing spree draws cries for more gun control. Gun controls don’t work. How about controlling users or owners who go amok, or who may have the propensity for such?
A “purchase permit” could easily be developed within local and federal governments to be used to purchase guns and/or ammo. This permit would be irrevocable except when the holder is charged with a felony, or comes under sufficient scrutiny for mental ailments, or demonstrates behavior wherein civil authorities are called. It would have fees paid by the planned buyer, renewable every three to five years, and would be difficult to counterfeit and guaranteed renewable under the Second Amendment. A substantial background check would have to be passed, with any denial certified in writing and appeal-able, before the buyer could purchase any guns or ammo.
Let’s hope our government authorities are smart enough to put something like this together for the future safety of us all. It would certainly be a start in attempting to limit psychopaths who will always have guns, controlled or not.
LARRY SHUMAN, DOUGLASVILLE
FOOTBALL
Let’s not forget our
heroes of yesterday
A recent AJC had a wonderful tribute to Tommy Nobis (“No. 60 to hit 70, too quietly,” Sports, Sept. 15).
In addition to Tommy, that 1966 (Falcons) team also featured some other interesting characters. All of those guys played hard, and Tommy earned much-deserved trips to the Pro Bowl.
Given the classy nature of the current club, I was surprised to read that some feel as if he has been marginalized. If you were a fan (like me) back in the early years, you loved those guys not only for their hard play, but also for their colorful personalities.
We should always pay tribute to the players of yesteryear. They always played hard against all odds, and selflessly sacrificed their bodies every Sunday for our entertainment.
GENE BARGER, ATLANTA
INEQUALITY
We should emulate
‘Greatest Generation’
I am happy for the letter writer whose truck driver father was able to send his children to college (“Successful not liable for others’ problems,” Readers write, Opinion, Sept. 18). He disagrees with columnist Paul Krugman, who worries about the growing gap between rich and poor in this country, and feels the rich should do more to help the poor.
Unlike this writer, I appreciate Krugman, who uses far more data than one anecdote to prove his point. Like the writer, my siblings and I did better financially than our parents, but we also had government help via the G.I. Bill and state scholarships. With better educations, we have been able to pay far more in taxes than did our parents.
I don’t feel punished for doing well. I feel blessed. I am grateful to my parents’ generation, the Greatest Generation, for doing so much to help mine. Their help made our country great — and if we want to keep it that way, we should follow their example.
MARGARET CURTIS, ATLANTA
