Gun-control aim: Getting rid of guns
After the horrific shooting incident in Florida, a number of pro- and anti-gun letters have been published in the TFP. All have one thing in common: They all debate the pros and cons of gun ownership as to self-defense and/or sports/hunting. But they are missing a major point.
Our founding forefathers won our independence and kicked the British out of the U.S. not by petition or resolutions but rather by force of arms. With that in mind, they enshrined the Second Amendment not for self-defense or hunting but as a last line of defense against a future tyrannical government. Any future “Hitler” in the White House will have 100 million guns facing him by a citizenry legally armed.
The gun control agenda is about one thing: the abolition of all gun ownership rights. The ultimate aim is a society in which only the government and police have firearms. The question for gun-control advocates is: “If the government is the only one with the guns, what about the rest of our constitutional liberties?”
The U.S. Supreme Court does not have an armored division.
Ronald Williams
Bike lanes, school board draw ire
There was a story in the paper that Martin Luther King Boulevard from Georgia to Central avenues was being reduced from four lanes to three lanes so that bike lanes could be installed. I am trying to understand why the people in the city were not given a voice on this matter.
Bike lanes were forced down our throat on Broad Street which are hardly used by bikers, but are used by walkers. It seems to me that Mayor Berke’s administration did not get or understand the message from the city’s citizens. That money could have been used to repave some of the streets so badly in need in the city.
The other issue I wish to address is the Hamilton County school board, one of the most dysfunctional I have ever seen. There is not one of them qualified to be on the board. The school system is so important to the growth of this city as many companies look at what kind of school system we have. In this regard, we get an F as we have failed to have quality schools that educate our kids to compete or excel in our society.
Mark Shapiro
Seeking reasonable answers on guns
The Second Amendment: what it is and is not. Supreme Court Justice Scalia, in D.C. v. Heller, clearly recognized both gun rights and the validity of reasonable gun regulations, and stated: “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited ” So, the real question is: Are there reasonable regulations that would respect the right to bear arms while, at the same time, serving to save lives?
Of course there are, and the following proposals, which cannot seem to get passed by Congress, all have a high percentage of support from the American people: universal background checks; legislation prohibiting bump stocks; banning sales to all violent criminals, those deemed dangerous by mental health providers, and convicted stalkers; banning high-capacity magazines; and waiting periods.
Finding real solutions should not involve mudslinging between ideologies but rather should involve seeking reasoned analysis of those measures that would give deference to both the Second Amendment and the right of citizens to be protected from gun abusers.
I believe that most gun owners actually respect the need for reasonable regulations. I urge everyone to ignore hardliners on both sides and ask your elected officials to enact reasonable regulations.
Tom Walker