Letters: Arming teachers and wearing face masks

Easy to throw more guns at the problem

The anniversary of the Oregon District shooting tragedy in Dayton is Aug. 4, and state Sen. Bill Coley is heedlessly promoting Senate Bill 317, which permits teachers to carry weapons in schools. This bill will make all Ohioans less safe.

What will happen when an untrained teacher perceives a danger, and fires a gun in a building full of children?

Has the Ohio Senate studied data on school violence?

How does it compare to the number of accidents, injuries, homicides and suicides throughout the state?

School incidents are a fraction of the daily toll gun violence takes in

Ohio each day.

It is easy to throw more guns at the problem, and very difficult to find common ground as public officials to act in the best interests of all.

Responsible licensing provisions, denying firearms to domestic offenders and mandating safety locks on guns are reasonable safeguards.

Proactive laws protect, but SB 317 increases the threat of injury and death.

I reminded Sen. Coley recently that 340 days, as of July 19, have passed since the Oregon District massacre in Dayton.

Arming teachers following this tragedy indicates that politics, rather than public safety, is the driving force behind this bill.

This bill ignores a larger public health problem.

Does the committee have the courage to talk to the families of Dayton victims: Derrick Fudge, Lois Oglesby, Saeed Saleh, Logan Turner, Nicholas Cumer, Thomas McNichols, Beatrice Curtis, Monica Brickhouse and Megan Betts?

Their grief can teach you something about using power to save lives by enacting gun laws that protect people.

Who will you listen to? These families, and hundreds of others, or the strident minority screaming about “their rights” — people who refuse to consider the families or victims of gun violence or to bear witness to their pain. SHARON ROGGENKAMP Middletown

America’s newest disease: quarantigue

The recent demonstrations by nonmask wearing protesters gathering in close physical proximity are denying the statistics reported by our public health officials. Could this incivility be evidence of our newest social pandemic: quarantigue (quarantine fatigue)? I would define quarantigue as a lack of belief and compliance to those scientific and medical evidence-based facts that stipulate mask wearing and physical distancing decrease the coronavirus. Symptoms of quarantigue include: widespread arrogance and disbelief that hand washing, mask wearing and maintaining a safe distance decrease catching or transmitting the virus.

As a health care professional, I must say that my colleagues working in the clinical areas with virus-infected patients do not have this luxury of selfanointed attitude of ridiculing or dismissing the importance of mask wearing as they go about protecting their patients or themselves. Indeed, they are too busy taking care of the victims of this pandemic, some of whom the quarantigued crowd may have infected or be victims of themselves. Instead, these masked, gowned and otherwise PPE-laden warriors are busy taking care of those suffering from this awful disease.

Readers, be a part of the pandemic solution, not a part of the pandemic problem. Wear your mask. Maintain a physical distance. Avoid crowds. Wash your hands. Finally, quit contributing to America’s newest disease: quarantigue. JERRY A. O’RYAN Centerville (O’Ryan is a respiratory therapist and editor of Respiratory Exchange newsletter)

Columnist helping better race relations

In my opinion, Dayton Daily News sports columnist Tom Archdeacon has done more for improving race relations than any I have experienced.

His moving humanitarian pieces that share stories of (Black) athletes in our community have a unique ability to lift all who read them.

I am ever so grateful to have the opportunity to be touched by his gift of writing. I do sing his praises to all who will listen.