Letter: Some other things to consider about guns

Posted 3/6/18

To the editor:

-Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.-

Since the …

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Letter: Some other things to consider about guns

Posted

To the editor:

-Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.-

Since the dawn of time, evil has existed in the heart of man and so long as it remains, man will find ways to kill, with or without firearms.

As our society talks about this latest shooting, it is important to shelve our emotions and examine ideas using facts and logic. We need to be prudent, lest we jump headfirst into new laws/regulations that will do little to actually protect us.

One of the first problems that needs to be addressed is how do we prevent dangerous people, who have evil intent, from doing harm. What measures can we take to remain safe while protecting the rights of the individual?

The overall failure of the law enforcement process is another major problem. The FBI was warned about Niklas Cruz numerous times and yet he wasn’t stopped. Additionally, over the years law enforcement was called to his residence 39 times. Unfortunately, this is similar to other mass killings in that the perpetrators have been on the radar of law enforcement and have not been stopped. Perhaps laws need to be changed so law enforcement has the ability to act preemptively in such cases. 

We should also do away with “gun free zones”; why announce to the world that people in a specified area are not armed and thus can’t protect themselves? It’s a naively foolish and dangerous policy.

Walk into a bank, courthouse, airport, etc. and you will often see an armed individual standing guard, but yet nationwide millions of kids are sent to schools where nobody is standing guard. It is time we allow select, highly qualified, trained teachers/staff, to have access to firearms.

The process and laws for obtaining a firearm need to be improved and made more thorough. The goal being to prevent dangerous people from obtaining any type of firearm, while at the same time, not restricting the rights of law abiding citizens. Too often it fails on both accounts, dangerous people are often able to acquire and carry firearms, many times illegally, while law abiding citizens jump through hoops and are often unable to do the same.

Another idea often discussed is to ban so called “assault” rifles. How this will prevent evil people, with malicious intent on killing, is unclear. According to the FBI, in 2014, “Rifles” were used in 248 out of 11,961 murders in the U.S., by comparison, “Knives or Cutting Instruments” were used in 1,567 murders and “Handguns” in 5,562. Banning all “assault” rifles will do little to solve the problem and seems more like an idea based on emotions as opposed to evidence.

In closing, as we navigate through the challenging process of increasing security, we must remain vigilant to the preservation of liberty, while at the same time, be respectful and honest as we examine the evidence both for and against our positions. 

Matthew Fletcher

Barrington

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.