Let’s work together for effective gun control laws
My daughter-in-law, a nurse practitioner, has an office on the floor below where the Midtown shootings occurred.
I believe in your right to own a gun. I do, however, believe we need different gun control laws.
It is obvious our current laws are not working. There are laws for driving a car or a boat, for drinking, for employment and so on. They help provide a smoother functioning society. So I believe gun laws need to be amended.
This event made me think once again about mental health. I am a retired mental health therapist. I know firsthand that mental health patients often take a back seat regarding treatment. Mental health illnesses are the same as physical illnesses. People do not ask to have them. They often need help coping with them. At a time when it seems clear we are in a mental health crisis, mental health facilities are shut down, proper training isn’t provided and people look the other way rather than help.
I don’t have the answers, but I believe if we come together and quit making it about political parties and try instead to solve these problems, our country would be a better place.
ROXANNE WYSOCK, SCOTTSBORO, AL
Return gun ownership decisions to the states
Last year, the U. S. Supreme Court set aside a half-century constitutional right to abortion and returned the decision to the states.
Since our representatives in Congress seem unable to pass legislation banning assault weapons in the general population, maybe it is time to set aside the blanket provisions of the 2nd Amendment right to gun ownership and return some decisions to the states.
With more than 70 percent of Americans, regardless of political party, favoring banning assault weapons, I’m sure we can get it done that way. Some states might even choose to impose further gun ownership restrictions.
JINI COCKROFT, SNELLVILLE
