Gun threats, deliberate or not
Review of mass shootings reveals two common facts: (1) They are committed by mentally deranged individuals who want to become famous. (2) They search for advertised "gun free zones" to slaughter as many helpless people as possible until someone shows up with a gun to stop them upon which they commit suicide.
I propose the following:
Cease stating the name of the murderer refer to him as "The Crazy." This may be difficult for the news media, but making this murderer famous is wrong.
Someone on staff should be assigned the task of fast response to an emergency. This person should receive proper training, obtain a concealed carry license, and have a concealed pistol. That person should remain anonymous to avoid potentially dangerous curiosity from children or students. The school should then be advertised as a "Gun-Protected Zone."
Other advertised "gun-free zones" should consider the above for the protection of their attendees.
Another issue is accidents with firearms by children. That is the fault of parents and gun owners! It is absolutely their responsibility to properly secure their firearms from curious children and provide them with proper firearms training, such as "Never touch a firearm unless I am with you" and "Never pick up a firearm with your finger on the trigger." (The only time you touch the trigger is when you actually aim at a target ready to shoot.) "Never let the firearm point at something you don't want to destroy," etc.
Properly securing firearms need not be expensive besides gun safes, use trigger locks or run a wire cable through the trigger guards, fastening with a padlock. The wire cable should be fastened to closet wall studs with large-eyed screws. Ammunition and keys to locks should be securely locked up.
John Hart
Columbus
Unusual? Hardly
Dr. Krauthammer's analysis of the gun control controversy is an excellent example of selective fact picking. He states that mass-murder cases are fairly unusual, but neglects to mention that mass shootings (four or more killed or injured) are occurring at a rate of nearly one per day in this country. This is an obvious failure of the NRA in not training gun owners to be more accurate in these situations.
Jake Lark
Columbus
Citizen leaders
Manipulation. That one word pretty much sums up a lot of what we experience every day. I've just about come to the conclusion that the only way that change is going to be effected in this country is for non-politician citizens to take back our government. With the unfairness in the marketplace, there soon will be enough former owners available to run for office and return sanity to this country.
In the industry in which I operate my small business, we have always had to compete and we welcome competition as long as we all play by the same rules. We have always done well head to head. Our competitors have gotten smart and with the do-nothing Congress that we have had for the last several years, one major competitor bought a major contracting company that writes contracts for our entire industry. o now, a competitor is allowed to write my contract as well as its own and all its other competitors'. They prosper and the rest of us struggle to survive, hardly the American way. With the terms of some of these contracts, I make more profit selling a 50-cent soft drink.
All of this filters through the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid service which is supposed to be overseen by Congress. They are also supposed to oversee the Federal Trade Commission, created to ensure fair business practices.
We need term limits. We need government employees to participate in the same benefit pool as the rest of us. In the current political environment that won't happen. It is going to take a bunch of like-minded individuals, not concerned with being re-elected, who are willing to serve for the common good.
The pool of availability grows by the day.
Norman W. Davis
Phenix City
Lifelong subsidy
There are two kinds of people here in America. Those raised to enter the work force earn a living, most get married, buy a house, have kids. You work hard holding a job, paying taxes, providing for your wife and kids. You pay your mortgage, food, medical bills, car payments and insurance, whatever you need to pay for and to have some kind of a decent life, home and family. You were raised by your parents, who did this for you and you want to do the same for your family. You feel very proud to be able to do so. All your friends and family do it, too. The kids are grown, all is paid for and you are retired enjoying life.
One day, you, your wife or both have to go into a nursing home. Lots of papers have to be filled out to determine your assets and how much income you receive. Then you are told you will have to pay for your care until all your money is gone. Then, in order to apply for Medicaid to pay, you must sign a statement giving them the right to take your assets as repayment after you pass away.
The other kind of people are those who live off the government, get free housing, welfare, food stamps WIC and medical care their whole lives. They have no assets and never worked to earn any. They pay no taxes, contributing nothing. They go into the same nursing home, giving up nothing, and it is all paid for by you and me from start to finish! They get a free ride their whole life.
David C. Barfield
Smiths Station
This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Gun threats, deliberate or not ."