When will America finally say ‘Enough’?
Re Fatal attraction: America must end its toxic love affair with guns, DiMan
no, Oct. 3 I watched a clip of Speaker Paul Ryan commenting on the mass murder in Las Vegas. This is the same Paul Ryan who blocked Democratic representatives from forming a select committee on gun violence. He said, “We cannot let the actions of a single individual define us as a country. This is not who we are.”
I’m sorry, but you’re wrong. It is who you are. You’re the country where, over and over, people are killed and wounded en masse by persons wielding easily accessible firearms, usually semi-automatic weapons with no purpose other than to kill people, and continue to do nothing about it.
That’s what the rest of the world thinks of first when it thinks of the United States. You should be ashamed. Stephen Whitzman, Toronto
“In the long night of its soul, America must finally repudiate its rapture with guns. The obsession is killing them. In ones and twos and massacres.”
When did Rosie DiManno become such an excellent writer? I certainly do not always agree with what she has to say, but there is no denying her ability to write columns that grab and pull you in like few others can do. Bravo! Jeff Green, Toronto
Re Sonny was trying to save my life, Oct. 4 The tragic massacre in Las Vegas reveals the ugly, as well as the beautiful, side of human nature. We tend to be so shocked and disgusted with the ugly and evil that we overlook the beautiful.
One person was driven by evil to massacre so many innocent people, including many women and children.
On the other hand, many were driven by the good in human nature. At the risk of their own safety and lives, they saved or tried to save others — some not even known to them.
These are the people who make our world beautiful. They are the unsung heroes who keep humanity alive. When and if a memorial is made to mark this awful event, I hope those unsung heroes will also be sung. Clarence McMullen, Richmond Hill
Every time there is a mass shooting in America, whether it is in an elementary school, a Black church or Las Vegas, people ask, “Why?”
I know why. Anyone from a retired millionaire to a high school student can buy or get assault rifles. Assault rifles are designed for only one thing: to kill people. They are not for hunting, self-defence or target practice. Until you get assault rifles out of the hands of the public, you will continue to see mass shootings. Joe Virio, Bowmanville
I am starting to wonder who is behind the anti-gun lobby and what’s their agenda.
After all, a psychopath can go on a stabbing spree but no one questions the availability of sharp and pointy objects. The problem is the killer.
A psychopath rams into a crowd with a motor vehicle but no one questions the availability of cars and trucks. The problem is the killer.
A religious zealot goes on killing spree but no one questions the pertinence of that religion. The problem is the killer.
But when a gun is used, politicians and the media go berserk, shouting “We need more gun control!”
To put things into perspective, recent studies estimate that more than 250,000 Americans die of medical errors every year. That’s like 13 Las Vegas massacres per day, every day of the year. Where is the outrage? Michel Trahan, Maria, Que.
I noted in the business section that “gun stocks” rose moderately on the NYSE in the wake of the terrible, insane tragedy in Las Vegas. This is typical of the aftermath of every one of these mass murders in the U.S. With all the publicity about the weaponry used, I’m sure the retail supply of bump stocks — the mechanism used to make assault rifles fully automatic — were sold out within hours of the reports. What a comment on the American condition. Marty Fruchtman, Toronto
How much deeper must America sink to its knees until with one collective voice is heard the plaintive cry: “Enough is enough!”?
What is there about divisiveness, hate and rancour that assail the very soul of America, plaguing it at every side? What can be done to arrest this plethora of sorrow and unstoppable bleeding that runs rampant, tearing homes, families and institutions apart with the force of countless tsunamis?
So many wounds will remain untreated until this nation extricates itself from the slough of permissiveness, rids itself of firearms and converges together — reunited and fortified. Claude McDonald, Kitchener
Just another day, just another slaughter. I’ve given up believing that any slaughter will propel the U.S. to finally amend its gun laws. Instead, it is making gun silencers easier to attain! This is just insanity.
The second amendment is so deeply weaved into Americans’ collective psyche, they can’t see past the bubble that has become their nightmarish prison. The vast majority of them aren’t aware that other Western nations don’t go to bed at night clutching a weapon.
I particularly resent their lax gun laws and easy access when they get smuggled into my country, Canada. Instead of limiting gun access or the type of weapons purchased, they have loosened pesky restrictions. Some states even allow open carry.
For these reasons, I no longer want to vacation in the U.S. I have chosen to stay in Canada and see our own beautiful and sensible country. Vivien Buckley, Burlington
“For decades, the evidence has been clear and it has been steadfastly, stubbornly ignored by American voters, so we can only conclude that 92 gun deaths per day is just fine with them.” BRUCE NAGY TORONTO
Re Only the numbers are different, Editorial, Oct. 3 The Star’s editorial struck the right tone on this one. It has to be difficult for people who have lost loved ones or been injured, but I hope our neighbours are not expecting Canada or other countries to be overly sympathetic.
For decades, the evidence has been clear and it has been steadfastly, stubbornly ignored by American voters, so we can only conclude that 92 gun deaths per day is just fine with them.
Glad I live here. I don’t think I’m the only Canadian who is increasingly hesitant to travel south. Bruce Nagy, Toronto
The gun lobby’s familiar refrain that guns don’t kill people, people kill people, is a transparent sophistry. Only with guns can a single person kill a large number of people. And only with an automatic rifle can anyone kill 59 and injure 527 people from 32nd-floor of a hotel.
In this context, it must be pointed out that the 18th-century Second Amendment, enshrining citizens’ right to bear arms, was enacted with 18th-century single-shot muskets, not 21st-century assault rifles capable of firing 100 bullets per minute, in mind. America’s Founding Fathers didn’t have the faintest idea of an assault rifle.
With American mass-shooters, armed with automatic weapons, slaughtering fellow Americans, the greatest threat to American security comes from inside, not from North Korea.
With Republican lawmakers beholden to the gun lobby, there will be no end to Americans, armed with automatic weapons, slaughtering fellow Americans. Mahmood Elahi, Ottawa
Fortunately for the Donald Trump faithfuls, his simple-minded statement that the latest American carnage is “pure evil” means the case is closed — there is nothing more to be explained or done.
However, for reasonable people, the case shouldn’t be closed until it’s determined how to prevent it from happening again.
That’s why it’s a good idea to understand that evil is not a preordained deed but a misguided mode of reasoning that substitutes the abstract for the concrete. It’s important to figure out the thinking process of a suicidal shooter who resorts to mass homicide. And it’s important to factor in the part played by the availability of automatic weapons.
Why is it that so many victims and bystanders are consoled with the false idea that more prayers and more guns will save them from a repeat event? Tony D’Andrea, Toronto