Readers write, Feb. 13

GUN CONTROL

Irrational gun bills go against common sense

I am weary of the Republican Georgia legislators answering only to the National Rifle Association and their far-right extremist base. Citizens in Georgia are waking up to irresponsible, indefensible laws such as “Stand Your Ground.” This unnecessary defense simply makes criminals out of (previously) responsible citizens, such as the retired law enforcement officer who allegedly shot a man in a movie theater due to being “threatened” by his texting.

Common sense and history make clear that when more weapons are more available, the results are more innocent lives lost and people hurt. When you combine low impulse control and a weapon that kills, instead of an argument or a black eye, we get tragedies, such as the elderly man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease who was shot like an animal in his neighbor”s backyard. Or the teen who had his music on too loud for a man’s taste. Instead of driving away or calling the police, the man is charged with shooting at the teenager’s car nine times, killing him instantly.

These senseless deaths are only going to increase with irrational gun laws that disregard common sense and human life.

LAURIE WARLICK, ATLANTA

WEATHER

Must we shut down every time it snows?

Georgia has become a laughingstock in the eyes of the world, and for good reason. A couple of inches of snow resulted in endless finger-pointing among officials whose task is to address these situations. Gov. Nathan Deal, in his State of the State speech, repeatedly referenced the storm of 2011 as a metaphor for Georgia’s economic and structural renaissance. Events have shown that those words were empty in every respect.

Georgia, and Atlanta in particular, were “crippled,” to use the term of MARTA CEO Keith Parker. Why? Not simply by a lack of response to the storm, which has been well-documented, but because of a lack of preparation. Notably, Gwinnett County handled the recent storm responsibly, simply by having salt trucks and other emergency vehicles available. Those preparations apparently eluded the counties of Fulton and DeKalb. And here we are again. The response this time? Shut everything down.

DAVID MARTIN, ATLANTA