Assault-weapon ban would help

I agree with Eugene Robinson's July 25 op-ed column, "The next Aurora looms, and we will do nothing," about whether we will do anything about civilians being able to purchase assault weapons. We probably will not.

I am a longtime member of the National Rifle Association. I enjoy shooting at a gun range. The range does not allow assault weapons on the property, and certainly does not permit anyone to fire them.

There is one purpose for that type of weapon: to kill people. They should be in possession of our military only. No civilian should own one.

Thankfully, the Aurora shooter's assault weapon jammed. If it hadn't, there would have been more carnage. Making it illegal to own these weapons will not stop the next deranged individual from committing murder, but it will mitigate the carnage.

Gerard Jacobs

Fairhaven Drive

Guns should be in plain sight

At the recent Bowling Green-Otsego High School Invitational soccer tournament, there were signs at the two sites that said they were gun-free zones and no concealed-carry weapons were allowed.

But how could the people in charge tell whether anyone was carrying a gun? There were no checkpoints or metal detectors at either of the two high schools. I guess people were expected to be honest.

What we need in this country is a law that would allow permit holders to carry a weapon in plain sight.

Think of the effect this would have on criminals and potential mass killers. A weapon in plain sight is more of a deterrent than a hidden one.

I would rather know that someone is carrying a weapon than to hope that someone is.

Mike Lacer

Oak Harbor, Ohio

British survive without amendment

The writer of the July 31 Readers' Forum letter "Congress to overstep bounds?" asked: "What would happen to the country if the Second Amendment is overturned." Great Britain, whose jurisprudence is the basis of our system of law, does not have a constitution, let alone a Second Amendment. Yet it has survived a lot longer than we have.

If we have chosen to build our society based on the law of the jungle, our precarious survival depends solely on the Second Amendment.

Vadaken Krishnan

Bowling Green

Police need to give better descriptions

In your July 8 article "Bank robbery suspect sought," Toledo police asked the public to help find a bank robber. The description said that he was 6 feet tall, with a medium build, and wearing a plaid shirt. Do you know how many people I see every day who fit that description?

If police want our help, they have to give us more to go on. Was the suspect white, black, or Hispanic? We need a better description. Or is The Blade afraid of being called racist or a profiler?

Dan Bialy

Sylvania

Rule-abiding cashier brings joy

A cashier at Wal-Mart on Central Avenue made my day. I had a bottle of wine among the few items that I was buying. The cashier asked to see my driver's license, because she has to check the age of everyone who buys alcohol.

I provided my identification and thanked her. I'm 89 years old.

Delbert Bordner

Fairfax Road