‘Guns don’t kill’ refrain is wrong

1/9/2013

The refrain “guns don’t kill, people do” has been invoked to fight efforts for anti-gun legislation (“NRA stands by armed guard plan; Gun ban won’t protect children, leader says,” Dec. 24). This refrain is callous, outdated, and wrong.

Our Constitution gives us the right to bear arms, but I doubt our Founding Fathers could imagine the types of weapons that are now available to the masses.

There always will be evil in the world, but we must react to it. If anti-gun laws would keep weapons such as this out of the hands of one person such as the Newtown shooter, or stop one more event such as that, then we desperately need anti-gun laws.

BETH THOMAS SCHIFFEL

Sylvania Township

 

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Guns still at root of tragedies

The event at Sandy Hook Elementary School resets the boundaries of what an evil individual can do. There are a number of contributing factors in our society today: mental instability that our society chooses to ignore, parental guidance that too often is insufficient, a culture of intolerance to people who are different from ourselves, and an entertainment emphasis on violence in our movies and video games.

However, guns and especially automatic weapons with large-capacity ammunition clips play a significant role in this horror. These weapons allow a deranged mind to turn violent intentions easily into a massacre.

Guns do not kill people. People kill people. But certain guns allow the killing to be a massacre of a number of people.

ROBERT KORICH

Springfield Township

 

Gun control won’t decrease violence

Many people believe that more gun-control legislation will decrease the number of violent incidents in our nation. It would do the exact opposite.

If our society were fully armed, there would be much less gun violence because criminals would be aware of the increased risk of getting shot while committing a nefarious act.

The gunman in Connecticut had nothing to worry about because he was the only one in the school with a gun. If school officials and authorities had been armed, he probably wouldn’t have even thought of doing what he did.

ROBERT SPANGLER

Glenwood Avenue

 

Media should promote morals

With the violence that our children are exposed to via the media, it’s no wonder that young people flip out and go on a killing spree.

Newspapers scream out the news of the day, which is murder, shootings, robberies, rapes, child molesting, and drugs. The only way we are going to change how guns are used is to change the media. The people in the media know bad news, not good news, sells. They also know the more violent a movie or game is, the more money they will make.

If those in the media incorporate good morals into good entertainment, maybe over a period of time we can change things around.

DENNIS FLOYD

Delta, Ohio