GUNS

Grow up; don’t take freedoms for granted

When did personal responsibility and accountability go out the window in America? Has it been a gradual change, or did the majority of us wake up one day and decide we needed to blame someone or something else for our various failings? I qualify as a firearms collector or enthusiast, many will read “gun nut” here. I have quite literally been shooting for sport since before I could keep both ends of a rifle off the ground and have pictures to prove it. Will I go out with my family and shoot over one thousand rounds on a given day? Yes. Do I think letting my kids shoot a military assault rifle at soda cans is fun? Yes. Do I lock up my weapons for safety? Duh. Am I afraid of registering to purchase these items? No. Do I blame video games and movies for atrocities? No. Be an adult and don’t buy what you don’t agree with. If the TV offends you, then let us hope you have enough base intelligence to find the off button. We have amazing freedoms in this country and take them for granted. Time to grow up, America.

RAY BROWN, Cascade

Guns are essential to preserving freedom

American authors who wrote the Bill of Rights knew the only way for people to be free was through individual ownership of guns. The South American Indians lost their freedoms because the Europeans who invaded Central and South America had guns. The Eastern American Indians lost their freedoms prior to 1860. Reason, lack of guns. The Western American Indians lost their freedoms during 1870s. Reason, lack of guns. Indians living in North, South and Central America illustrate what happens to the freedoms of individuals who have limited number of guns to fight for their freedoms. Our Founding Fathers knew guns were essential to maintain freedoms. They inserted in the Bill of Rights the right of gun ownership. Obama is planning the elimination of the Second Amendment piece by piece registration. You say hogwash, it will never happen here! Wake up. Obama is openly destroying our religious freedom through legislation contained in Obamacare. The future of our individual freedoms will be lost, one amendment at a time, until we will find ourselves the same as American Indians found themselves with no freedoms.

EARL F. BENEDICT, Boise

‘Gun control’ is not about stopping crime

With all of the calls for an “assault weapon ban,” let’s look at the real-world effect of the 1997 Australian ban on all semiautomatic firearms. The Australian law included confiscation, which Sen. Dianne Feinstein also wants to do here. The following statistics are from the Australian Bureau of Criminality and the U.S. FBI:

Between 1995 and 2007, Australia saw a 31.9 percent decrease in murder rates. Between 1995 and 2007, with the 1994 Clinton/Feinstein assault weapon ban expiring in 2004, the U.S. also saw a 31.7 percent decrease in murder rates.

Between 1995 and 2007, Australia saw an increase in all other violent crime rates: assault rose by 49.2 percent, robbery by 6.2 percent, and rape by 29.9 percent.

Between 1995 and 2007, with the Clinton assault weapon ban expired, the U.S. saw a decrease in all other violent crime rates: assault dropped by 32.3 percent, robbery fell by 33.2 percent, and rape dropped by 19.2 percent. Australian women are now raped more than three times as often as American women.

“Gun control” laws are not about stopping crime, they are about controlling honest citizens. Hey, it worked for Stalin, Mao, Hitler and Castro, no wonder the Democrats want to try it in America.

PETER HUMM, Mountain Home

Change the heart of man

Man can never answer for all the ills of a country. What has happened in our country is horrific. Man’s inhumanity to man will continue. Evil is alive and well. Banning guns is not the answer. Changing the heart of man is the answer. How do you do this? Look up people, the answer is there.

SHARION SPANGLER, Boise

Let’s take a serious look at gun control

Tragedies such as recent school shootings often bring light to the subject of gun control when, in reality, gun violence occurs daily. If you look at current national news, it seems as if almost every story is about murders or mass shootings. So I think it’s time we seriously address the issue and figure out what to do about gun control.

It feels like everyone has shared their opinion about what to do about firearms. Some say we need to get rid of them all together. Some believe stricter laws will help the situation. In my opinion, both of these strategies could be employed to manage gun control.

While I don’t believe guns need to be done for altogether, I see no reason why someone needs to own an assault rifle. Additionally, advocates for gun control say that they are responsible with weapons. While that’s generally true, it’s obvious that not everyone is so careful. This is where I believe stricter laws could be utilized. I think that in the United States today, it’s much too easy to get a gun and I believe if background checks and safety classes were used, our country would be safer overall.

SHAE AMDOR, Boise

Laws don’t always work

I have a question. People break speed limit laws, they break liquor laws, should we take those away because they don't work?

WENDY STEVENS, Boise

Focus on the shooter

When it comes down to the mass shootings at Sandy Hook and other places, this focus on guns and not much on the shooter, is like being in a locked room worrying about the rattlesnake while ignoring the grizzly bear.

ROBERT A. TAYLOR, Boise

We need gun control

Here is my suggestion.

An armed security officer in each school. Funded programs to help people who are mentally ill. A ban on assault weapons and ammunition. We need gun control now. No matter what the NRA says, more guns in more hands mean more killing.

ANN ROGERS, Pocatello

How can we consider disarming ourselves?

Here we go again: another senseless massacre we can’t comprehend committed by someone who shouldn’t have had a gun to begin with. More than 50 million Americans own guns and don’t kill people. I can’t tell you why someone loses value for human life. Answer that question and you solve the problem.

The Second Amendment gave the citizens the right to bear arms to defend themselves against everyday perils and their government. I see people in other countries in the news who have been oppressed by their governments and all they can do is “throw stones” to defend themselves. Our government recognizes this inadequate response (throwing stones) so they supply millions of these people with “assault weapons and magazines.” How can we arm the world and consider limiting U.S. citizens the same right to own these weapons? Another question is how many of these so-called freedom fighters did they run a background check on?

No country would ever try to invade the United States knowing we not only have the most powerful military in the world, but we have 50 million backups that don’t “throw stones.”

I’m still a proud American!

JAMES DAVID MAYNARD, Boise