Blaming Republicans for gun violence is counterproductive
Blaming the failure to pass firearms legislation on the Republicans may be politically expedient, but it’s also counterproductive. Why further alienate a group whose cooperation you need to get what you want? Republicans don’t want to see children murdered either. Political bigotry is going too far.
MIKE WEST, MARIETTA
Gun regulations decrease risks to innocent lives
Another myth is shattered (again). Good guys with guns do not stop bad guys with guns. Some 400 million guns in this country are in the hands of the good guys, yet, incapable of stopping the killings of innocents. The last few weeks have revealed truths beyond the myths.
Those who oppose common sense gun laws argue that any regulation will lead to a gun ban. This is objectively and factually false. The U.S. regulated machine guns in 1936, handguns in 1968 and assault rifles in 1994 (since expired). There is no slippery slope. Hunters can hunt. You can protect yourself. No one is trying to take away those rights, but age requirements, background checks, red flag laws and the elimination of ghost guns decrease risks to innocent lives.
It is incongruous to me that anti-abortion activists celebrate a culture of life while supporting America’s unique culture of death. How many more children must die on the altar of greed and power, hiding behind a perverse interpretation of the Second Amendment?
BILL NEWNAM, ATLANTA
Mass shootings set U.S. apart from rest of world
As I ran at Kennesaw Mountain High School at 7 a.m. the day after the school shootings in Texas, the American flag was already at half-staff.
President Biden commented that other countries have mental illnesses but do not have mass shootings. Ukraine is one country with wide personal gun ownership, but not mass shootings. We are exceptional in mass shootings.
Why have we lost more people to COVID per thousand (over 1 million) than other wealthy countries with similar access to the vaccine? We are exceptional.
If we want to be “exceptional” world leaders, I believe we should look at ourselves individually and collectively and ask, “What makes Americans exceptional?”
DANIEL F. KIRK, KENNESAW
Americans need to rethink attitudes about guns, violence
Enough is enough. We Americans need to rethink our attitudes towards violence.
We have watched TV and listened to the radio to yet another senseless shooting.
There are several things we can do to prevent future massacres.
It is time that anyone purchasing a pistol or rifle undergo mandated training annually as well as a background check.
We need to ban weapons of war. We do not have a declared war within our borders regardless of what the sayers of misinformation are pushing.
We have also idolized monsters with violent tendencies killing civilians in movies and video games. We allow a vulnerable population to purchase tickets to said movies and video games.
The movie industry had to undergo a rating system in its early years. It is time that anything with violent content should be rated where no one under 25 is allowed. That age is when the frontal lobes are finally developed.
SUZETTE GOOLSBY, COLLEGE PARK
