Letters to the Editor 10/14/2015

To the Editor:

Thank you for your very thoughtful piece last week about not accepting repeated horrific killings in America as just another day at the office. Your comment about ours not being a very caring society as being an element of the problem particularly rings true. A cultural shift in our attitude toward the possession of weapons similar to what has happened with our no longer accepting excessive drinking of alcohol and the use of tobacco, needs to occur.

Unfortunately, the misconception that we all have a right to own guns only exacerbates the problem. The notion that the Constitution bestows a right upon all of us to "keep and bear arms" just isn't so. We are not all part of a "well-regulated militia" as stated in the Second Amendment. One thing we can do is to clarify what the authors of the amendment intended. The suggestion by former Justice of the Supreme Court John Paul Douglas that the Amendment be changed to read, "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms when serving in the Militia shall not be infringed" would be a good beginning.

Roger Detweiler

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To the Editor:

I applaud Jim Cornelius' editorial on gun rights and gun responsibilities (The Nugget, October 7, page 2).

His editorial provides compelling insights about this national tragedy. The USA has the Constitutional right to bear arms. The USA has a responsibility for a safe society. These can be bridged together.

I endorse Jim's quote: "We gun-owners seem to have forgotten that our right comes with a very serious responsibility - and that includes participating in the crafting of EFFECTIVE regulations that keep weapons out of the hands of people who are liable to use them to terrible purpose."

Dave Johnson