Readers share thoughts on mass shooting in Gilroy, how Marysville is handling the business of marijuana

This past week, we asked our Facebook friends for their thoughts on the mass shooting in Gilroy and about Marysville’s seeming proclivity for cannabis.

** Every mass shooting is very upsetting; but somehow the Gilroy shooting Sunday hits us especially hard – it’s a town about the same size as ours and not far away, they were wrapping up a festival similar to festivals we have here ... our hearts go out to them. We asked Facebook friends if they had thoughts to share:

... The point of this thing is that ALL of us are defenseless because we have no gun control. Meanwhile every single first world country has gun control and very, very low gun deaths. We have 39,000 shot to death per year by your gun hobby.

Gun-free zones kill innocent people. I hate getting into this subject at times like this but people need to know the side effects of disarming society.

Jess O’brien, you don’t think we have gun control here? Have you ever bought a gun? Do you know first hand what’s involved in buying and owning a gun in California or do you just get your information from CNN, MSNBC, etc.? If your theory is true why are the most restrictive states the most dangerous?

– Samantha Watson: I had family at the festival thankfully they have been reported as safe! However, it truly gets under one’s skin considering our own fair is coming into play and as much as we cannot give into fear and not participate we do however have to keep it in the back of our head to pay more attention than we probably should normally have to! Prayers to those affected in Gilroy.

– Brittnee Drawver: More ccw carriers, accountability and punishment for criminals... and quit publicizing the ones who do it.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is much larger than any festival in the Yuba area. People are bussed in from miles away to deal with parking. Maybe make sure local festivals are welcome to ccw holders and let that be known. You will never have a shooting in this area at a festival. If it does happen casualties/injuries will be low.

It’s not guns doing this, it’s the breakdown of the home and society, in my opinion.

Almost 40 years ago, when I was in high school, guys had hunting rifles in their cars to go hunting before and after school. They would take those same rifles to shop class to clean and repair them, and talk about hunting with the teachers. Shooting up a classroom would’ve been seen as a sissy thing to do ...

Jess O’brien 60 percent of those were suicide, guns are not the problem in this country. Parenting and accountability, and human value sure are. There is no penalty for just about any crime; it’s like a ticket we need to take a harder look at our justice system in this state they’re letting out all the criminals – you can take just about any drug you want to; get caught with it it’s just a ticket . ...

“There by the grace of God goeth I”... this phrase is on repeat in my head as we just wrapped up one of our community’s largest festivals. A friend of mine says “If you can plan for it, you can prevent it,” but can we prevent the unpredictable actions of a lunatic child killer? Many times at closed festivals that charge admission, CCW holders cannot bring their guns into the event. Law enforcement was on-scene and didn’t take long to take down the shooter. Without infringing on the Second Amendment, what is the solution? ...

– Gloria Arios Blair: Sending prayers. A 40-year run and never had a problem of this magnitude. We would take our kids every now and then years ago. I can’t even imagine what these families are going through. It’s starting to become normal for me to think what would I do in a situation as this and if my grandchildren were with me? So very heartbreaking.

– Corrina Hutton: After graduating high school here, I moved to Santa Cruz, so Gilroy was a surrounding community. It hit home for sure, but then again, I was a Sophomore here when Eric Houston shot up Lindhurst so.. doubly hard hitting. Has the AD advertised the local Active Shooter Training Course that is shown on the YCPD Facebook page? I will be attending and hope to learn more . ...

– Patrick Hamilton: Tragic. Don’t like California gun laws, head to another state, right?

Police officers were on the ball, in less than a minute or so. Great job, officers!

The increase in mass murder has become alarming; I can see our nation becoming desensitized to these events and it is distressing. I don’t condone murder, but there used to be a motive or some issue that prompted violence. It’s alarming that we now have violence for violence sake and you can now die a violent death while being a total innocent shopping for your groceries.

Terrifying. Brings it into perspective that you can’t go along seeing the headlines and saying “oh, that’ll never happen to me.”

I wish gun crimes such as this had never existed at all on the face of this earth from the very beginning! Period!

Godspeed Gilroy!

Blame the criminal. Keep politics OUT.

** We asked Facebook friends: While most local governments are having as little as possible to do with marijuana – limiting grows and banning commercial sales – the city of Marysville is embracing the business of marijuana, now legal in the state of California. The city has sanctioned two medical marijuana dispensaries and recently licensed a marijuana testing laboratory. And city leaders say they will consider licensing commercial/recreational use and sales. The city will benefit from taxes and fees assessed on marijuana businesses.

What do you think about the situation? Is Marysville an outlier, or an example for other local governments?

– Laura Kellett Rexroad: It will be a great revenue for Marysville it was voted legal so it should be treated as such.

I think Marysville needs all the money it can get and they better do something quick.

Strange Marysville is doing a complete 180. Must be the money.

– Amira Lindbloom: I recently attended a Coffee with a Cop where Chief Sachs spoke most intelligently and eloquently about the subject. I wasn’t sure where I stood on the issue before but after hearing his perspective, I’m in.

– Patrick Marble: Pot growing was it’s own economy. If Yuba county didn’t run off the local growers – in the hills the market for the city would have been even more legal taxable revenue but they got greedy. Now all we have are the trouble makers from other areas, states and countries trying to get rich.

– Jessica Dammé: I think Marysville could use the tax revenue. Why send people to other counties to buy and let them get the money? I think recreational sales should be allowed in Yuba County.

-– Suzanne Gray Wong: Chico is setting itself up to go all in with this, but many citizens don’t want it. We already have enough challenges with crime and our transient population. And the tax dollars that they claim it will generate will likely never funnel down to it’s implied destination (roads, schools, law enforcement, etc.).