Gun dilemma

What more can be done to reinforce President Donald Trump’s tacit support for stronger background checks on gun ownership in the light of the Florida school massacre (your report, 20 February)?

The students at the Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School are organising their own protest but it is still not clear what their overall objective is. It may be that they want better school security; closer monitoring of who actually buys guns; better provision for, and perhaps even protection from, those with mental health problems.

Perhaps they even want to change the gun culture that has been prominent in the United States since its inception nearly 250 years ago. Whatever their plans they will need to be focused and organised, for they are up against formidable opposition. The Second Amendment regarding the right to bear arms is music to the ears not of the National Rifle Association but to millions of gun owners.

This is a considerable lobby, and overcoming it will need professional commitment not just idealism. It can certainly start with well publicised vigils and campaigns outside every school throughout the country. That might at least show Congress that public opinion is changing. It may be enough to gain support for Senator John Cornyn’s plans for more rigorous checks at state and federal level. But unless it leads to laws that strengthen security in every education establishment, that make it less easy to buy and sell firearms, all these protests are unlikely to bear fruit.

BOB TAYLOR Shiel Court, Glenrothes