Let me begin by saying I am not against owning a gun. My father was an avid hunter and he used and stored his rifles in a safe, locked place.
But I do have several issues with the kinds of guns and ease in which people are able to obtain them today. The background check really must include any issue with one’s mental health.
The Second Amendment was written 250 years ago and stated that “a well-regulated Militia, was necessary to the security of the free state.”
Times have changed and so have the kinds of weapons being produced and sold. In 1791, the gun was the musket, not a rapid firing, military grade weapon. I am not sure many hunters use those for hunting.
I also know that in 2008 and 2010 the Supreme Court changed the definition to include a gun in the home to protect one’s self and property. I am not really sure if a gun in your home, unless you are carrying it on your belt, will guarantee your protection. After all, most people keep them locked up or hidden somewhere in their house.
The response by the NRA, which stands for National Rifle Association, not National Rifle, Handgun, and Rapid Firing Gun Association, was callous, careless, and unrealistic, to say the least. I am a teacher and I will tell you that one armed guard at every school would not stop an intruder.
After all, there was one or two at Columbine, in Colorado, and there were still 15 deaths. School campuses and sporting venues are very large and impossible for one individual to oversee.
We were able to put a TSA (transportation Safety Administration) law in place that makes you take off your shoes before boarding an airplane, based on one foiled attempt to carry a bomb on to a plane.
But we cannot put in to law a ban on assault grade weapons which were used in many recent mass shootings at a theatre, a mall, several schools, and countless street corners.
If the law allows for a person to keep a hand gun in their “home,” then laws need to be very strict when they are taken and used outside the home.
We need to ban assault weapons and include very strict mental health checks on anyone who wishes to buy a gun.
Gun shows need to be addressed. They do not always use the required checks. There will always be crazy people and acts of violence, but it is time to take a sensible approach to this very disturbing problem.
The power of the NRA and its lobbying strength needs to take a more responsible stand. Guns at schools are not the answer and they should be ashamed of themselves for suggesting such a ridiculous idea.
Ray Short
36-year veteran teacher
LaVale
Letters
Gun-carrying guards not the answer to making schools safe
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‘Forgotten warrior’ not forgotten
The Korean War is often called “The Forgotten War.” My generation remembers the Battle for LZ X-Ray at Ia Drang, The Tet Offensive, and Khe Sahn of the Vietnam War.
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Organization needed to help utilize the Potomac River
I am a committee remember on the Tamiami Trail Scenic Highway which stretches from Palmetto to Venice, Fla.
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Reducing meat consumption can help ease climate change
A review of 12,000 papers on climate change, in the May 15 issue of “Environmental Research Letters,” found that 97 percent of scientists attribute climate change to human activities.
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Maryland has stopped being “The Free State”
I am a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and, last but not least, the National Rifle Association. I am a yearly member of the American Legion.
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Save the Bridge Program
Please do not close the Frostburg United Methodist Church Bridge Program. The community and many families need this program. Let me enlighten you about a few things.
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Town of Westernport needs a police force and a curfew
Since the consolidation of Bruce and Valley high schools the town of Westernport rapidly deteriorated from what was once a quite respectable community to a community in a decline in residents, and along with that came a collapse in local government due to lack of knowledge and bad decisions that set the town of Westernport back 60 years.
One bad decision was to give up their police force, and with no constant visual law enforcement it has created an open range for drug dealerss, addicts, thieves, drunks and speeding vehicles that choose to ignore our city laws and speed limits and have totally disregard for the safety of the citizens who are on the streets, especially the children who are like deer, you don’t see them until their in front of you. -
Financial gutting will damage school system
I am writing in response to the Allegany County Commissioners’ efforts to cut local education spending to the lowest possible level allowed under state law.
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Cemetery organization plans events to mark Memorial Day
This upcoming Memorial Day marks the 30th anniversary of the Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization (CHCO).
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Outside water customers pay for town’s mistakes
The following is the opinion of the individual and in no manner reflects the opinion of any other person or organization.
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We’re twisting the meaning of the Founding Fathers’ words
I really had to chuckle when I read a recent comment someone made in a northeastern publication: “I’d like to suggest that Congress make a tiny change in our Second Amendment that would more accurately reflect the Founding Father’s intent (to wit): “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear muskets, shall not be infringed.”
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‘Forgotten warrior’ not forgotten
