Gun owners' mistrust reason for failed bill and other letters to the editors

Gun owners' mistrust reason for failed bill

A seemingly reasonable U.S. Senate gun control proposal failed last week. Those who favor further restrictions on gun ownership have themselves and government to fault, but not in the popular context.

Decades of encroachment into Second Amendment rights at all government levels have brought such deep mistrust among gun owners that reasonable gun control measures now are rejected. Gun control advocates and politicians groveling for their favor have created an enemy of law abiding gun owners and the NRA.

This conflict was not started by the NRA and those who choose to responsibly own firearms. Gun control advocates often masquerade as lone Samaritans around tragic acts of violence perpetrated by mad or criminal persons.

Elected officials should be the first to frown upon limiting a constitutional right, yet they are often among the first to propose restrictions upon those rights. When government authorities recognize their role is protecting constitutional rights -- and not to endlessly threaten those rights -- a chance of regaining a trust that was lost many years ago may begin to take form.

DAN C. JOHNSON


Politicians bend over backward for NRA

Congrats on a victory for the Second Amendment. So many say thank you, especially the next school shooter, theater massacre mastermind and domestic abusive husband with the criminal record.

It has been affirmed, a child's right to live has been superseded by anybody's right to own a gun, but rejoice because you senators really showed that minority, left-wing president how scared you are of the NRA.

The truth is, it is more difficult to rent a car or buy allergy medicine than it is to buy a gun. Politicians work for the people in their back pockets.

If anything, this should have proven to us that money and power talk, and the victims in Chicago, Sandy Hook and Aurora may as well have been poor and deaf because the NRA is almighty. It's cowardly that politicians would rather bend over backward for the NRA by not passing common sense legislation, rather than making the USA safer for the people they are suppose to be representing.

In true political fashion, they will hide behind closed doors rather than face the victims of Aurora, Sandy Hook, etc., and tell them why they simply don't care.

Hunter Taylor


Alexander, Corker share flawed logic

I think that senators, including Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, who voted against the Toomey-Manchin gun control bill should be ashamed that they put the interests of the NRA ahead of innocent gun victims.

If their argument is that it will be somewhat harder to obtain a gun, that's a small price to pay to slow down the sales of guns to criminals and the mentally handicapped. If they are perpetuating the popular myth that the government will come for their guns, they are furthering the fear tactics of the NRA.

We register our cars, and no one is coming for them.

DAVID DYER

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