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Abortion trumps gun violence
Yes, "violence loving" of every kind is indeed "all of a piece." (Urban Journal, October 7.) Needless to say, the most egregious offender by far is the abortion industry — the cause of cruel carnage on a scale that dwarfs gun-related violence. Unless and until your editorials evince some semblance of logical coherence in this regard, they should be and will be ignored.
I'm struck by the evident lack of self-awareness in the statement that "The vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent." Of course, that's true of legal gun owners, and the same logic should apply; focusing on those who are categorically NOT the problem is just a distraction.
But this issue, like everything else, ultimately comes down to just tribalism. Liberal elites love gun control mostly because it's a way to stick it to "those" people — the "flyover" people, who are "not like us."
J.A. MARRIT
Citizens abdicate duty regarding gun laws
While I appreciate the frustration expressed by Mary Anna Towler about the gun-control issue, I have to convey some bad news to the most vocal complainers: It's your fault that we don't have more sensible gun-control laws.
I've spoken to 10 acquaintances about the issue in the past week and they all told me that they voted for candidates who they expected to enact better gun laws. I asked, "When you called or wrote to them, what expectations did you convey?" Every one of them said something to the effect of, "I don't contact legislators. I vote, and I'm pretty happy with the results." These were all people who complain about the lack of effective gun control.
Really? They're happy? Legislators in New York have introduced legislation which can only be considered JUNK. And both bills were defeated.
Senate bill 2050 would've made it illegal to own 50-caliber rifles. In other words, it would be illegal to drive with a zebra on your head. "Anti-gun legislators have never been able to demonstrate that this type of gun was used in a crime," said the NRA, and it was right. But this is the best our legislators could come up with: make it illegal to own something that doesn't matter.
Senate bill 2491 would've created new felony categories for failure to properly secure guns. I think any sentient adult can agree that safe gun storage is crucial. Just one problem: the bill contained nothing to prevent the state from using gun registration records to knock on doors and conduct "inspections." Gun owners interpret that to mean confiscation. That's not empty paranoia, either.
The first bill deserved to be defeated. The second one deserved some fine-tuning. I seriously doubt that the average citizen expressed such things to their legislators.
Meanwhile, the NRA does a great job informing its members about what state (and federal) legislators are doing, and those members actually write to legislators. That's the real reason they get things done. It's not the campaign contributions. It's the attention they focus on various legislators, and the actions taken by constituents.
This is how it's supposed to be done, but only one side is doing it. You don't have to be an NRA member to behave like a real grownup citizen. Do something for a change.
You can't delegate everything and call yourself a citizen.
DOUG KANTER
Changing hearts and minds on guns
Thank you, Mary Anna Towler, for "Guns cause these deaths" in the October 7 issue. I believe that our country is in serious trouble because of gun violence. And arming more people is not the answer!
I agree that we Americans do seem to be a "violence-loving, increasingly angry society." Is it because we have the sense that we can no longer run the world, and that a culture built on more and more consumption does not really give us much to live for?
However, I have a concern that I haven't seen serious discussion about: What happens if there are strict federal gun laws? What happens if semiautomatic weapons are outlawed (as I hope they will be)? Will there be a growing illegal gun trade similar to the illegal drug trade? Will it be just like the Prohibition era with organized crime? How can we avoid such an occurrence? How can we change our hearts and minds?
SHERYL ZABEL
Democratic Socialism is good for business
Democratic Socialism, the system supported by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, should not be confused with totalitarian communism; it is a truly democratic and surprisingly business-friendly system.
The social democracies of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark always place in the top ten in rankings —including the World Bank's — of the most business-friendly or most innovative economies.
Free college, free health care, paid parental and caregiver leave, free child care, and a great business climate — what's not to like?
SAM ABRAMS
The Catholic Church and equal rights
The pope's famous question, "Who am I to judge?" gave us all hope that this monolith that is the Catholic Church might finally be coming around to the concept of equal rights. However, realistically, asking this question is a very long way from speaking positively in support of equal rights. I think we all got our hopes up prematurely.
ELANME
Guns empower cowards
Guns, especially automatic weapons, empower and enable cowards to carry out mass killings. Picture Columbine or Sandy Hook but now the weapon is a knife or baseball bat. The number killed would be much smaller.
TOM JANOWSKI
