Sometimes, no trophy

There are apparently a large number of citizens out there who grew up in the days of “everyone gets a trophy.” Unfortunately, that was unrealistic in the real world — especially in politics.

There were many millions of us who vehemently disagreed with virtually all policies of Barack Obama — not because we were “racist” but simply because we thought they were harmful to our country. However, we didn’t fall to the floor and kick and scream. We endured and went out to vote the next time we had the opportunity. And, we were successful in electing our current president.

All adults should realize that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. That is a fact of adult life. Sometimes you don’t get a trophy.

It’s time for all of the tantrum-throwers out there to quit acting like they know what’s right for everyone. They don’t. Our side won the election unaided by Russians, Martians or anyone else. We are happy to now watch what happens and give our president’s policies a chance.

Barry Garley

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What’s a life worth?

What’s a life worth to you, Congress? When are you going to summon the courage to reinstate the ban on assault rifles?

After the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida, one student, Cameron Kasky, wrote an excellent article about the massacre. “The shooter,” he said, “is not the only one responsible for this tragedy. The truth is that the politicians on both sides of the aisle are to blame. The Republicans, generally speaking, take large donations from the NRA and are therefore beholden to their cruel agenda. And the Democrats lack the organization and the votes to do anything about it.”

“There is a desperate need for change,” he concluded, “change that starts by folks showing up to the polls and voting all those individuals who are in the back pockets of gun lobbyists out of office.” He asked us to do that because he and his classmates are too young to vote.

He isn’t just calling Congress to account for what has happened; Cameron is also challenging you and me to do our part to bring this carnage to an end. While no single thing we do will solve the problem, we must all begin by finding one thing and then another and another to move toward a solution. Bit by bit our actions will accumulate until they reach a tipping point. Then Congress will know they must ban assault rifles and bump stocks and pass reasonable gun control laws or we will vote every one of them out of office.

Judy Osgood

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No need for AR-15s

I am sick and tired of all the gun lovers hiding behind the Second Amendment in order to keep their AR-15 and other assault rifles. When the amendment was written there certainly were no such weapons in existence. I am sure the writers of the amendment did not have them in mind, either. There is no use for these rifles other than by law enforcement or the military. These, along with bump stocks and large ammo magazines need to be outlawed. There are plenty of other options available to individuals to defend themselves and their personal property. While I understand that if someone is determined to do harm they will find a way, there is no need to make it any easier for them.

Phyllis Bear

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Pass gun-safety legislation

I attended the “Mom’s Demand Action for Gun Sense in America” meeting on Feb. 27th, and I would like to applaud their efforts. I am in favor of common sense gun-safety legislation in our state and our country (for example, elimination of high-capacity magazines for other than military purposes, supporting background checks in all gun sales, etc.). Let me draw a couple of analogies. When it was found that seat belts could help reduce fatal car accidents, seat belts became required in all automobiles (and other types of vehicles). The new law did not result in a reduction of auto sales and it has been proven in many studies that seat belts help save lives. When it was determined that cigarette smoking could be directly linked to certain types of cancer, billboards and other types of cigarette advertising were eliminated so as not to influence people (especially children) to take up smoking. This did not eliminate cigarette sales to consenting adults. Therefore it follows that gun safety legislation will not make it illegal to purchase guns, and our Second Amendment rights will not be impacted. It is interesting to note that during a recent vacation to New Zealand, I asked a high school student who had moved to New Zealand from the U.S., what he thought about living in that country. He said: “It is much safer here.’

Lynne Hager

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