Letters to the Editor 07/11/2018

To the Editor:

This whole gun debate we are having in this country just bothers me. I must admit that one could categorize me as peace and love, having been a hippy in my youth, RN by profession and one who finds spirituality in the outdoors.

Having said that, I have raised three amazing adults. One of my sons has always had an interest in guns although believe me I tried my best to discourage him. He has an arsenal that I wouldn't reveal to any of my life.love.yoga. friends. Yet he is probably one of the most gentle, caring men I know.

I always look forward to reading the Bunkhouse Chronicle in The Nugget. I know that the columnist and I don't see eye-to-eye (myself being much more liberal, of course) but always after reading his articles I have a different perspective to consider and always try to do so.

I don't understand his stand on gun rights. When the Second Amendment was written, I know that we didn't have high-capacity ARs at our disposal, which is what he said he would shoot to celebrate Independence Day. Contrary to how he might portray me as someone who wants to "control" and once we eliminate semi-automatic weapons then the "slippery slope" will lead to all gun removal. Nothing is further from the truth.

Gun violence in this country is at an unacceptable level and we have to start somewhere! Not to minimize the killing of just one person, but if a person wanted to shoot into a crowd it appears that he would likely not kill as many people if he wasn't in procession of an AR. Is that not a start?

During the drafting of the Second Amendment, "a well regulated militia was necessary to the security of a free state." I do think our "free state" is being threatened by having a commander-in-chief who can't seem to tell the truth and seems to have a respect for leaders who rule with an iron hand. Even feeling that way, I still would not want to own a gun. Maybe naively, I think we can use our words and work out our differences by respectful dialogue and compromise.

I hope I am never put to the test, and I also hope that we can reach a starting solution to the gun violence killing our most cherished of all, young vibrant minds who may be able to solve the gun violence in this country when they grow up, as we can't even seem to try just eliminating one high-capacity AR.

Kathy Dull

•••

To the Editor:

In his Bunkum Chronicle piece published July 4, Mr. Rullman is in fully automatic mode, spraying words like the bullets from his AR ripping through the desert air, offending everyone, including his neighbors and the wildlife.

The arc of his bullets range from unnamed "fringe elements" in Sisters trying to censor him through the shunning (long a religious practice) of Ms. Nielsen and Sarah Sanders in public spaces, and continues through baseball and "book burning." Unsurprisingly, Rullman confuses criticisms of his views with censorship. I don't doubt that we will continue to see his mostly incoherent and belligerent writings in The Nugget as he is buds with the editor.

Note to Mr. Rullman: Stringing polysyllabic words together does not a writer make. Literary or cultural allusions work only if they are illustrative of your theme. Without a coherent theme, allusions are merely attempts to show off, sort of like firing bullets into the air.

Michael Wells