The Texas Church Attack: In Search of Answers

THE ISSUE: The mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, that killed 26 on Sunday.

When will this carnage ever stop (“Fatal Error,” Nov. 7)? It’s no longer safe in our society to shop in a mall, your house of worship or a movie theater. Americans must be more vigilant than ever.

The NRA needs to work with Congress to help enact legislation to make it extremely difficult for anyone to purchase the types of firearms used in mass shootings.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. All of America mourns with you and stands behind you. John Amato Fresh Meadows

Sunday’s shooting proved once again that the solution to mass shootings is guns in the trained hands of lawful citizens.

Whatever regulations the government enacts, the lawful will comply, while the unlawful will simply obtain guns, making “gun-free zones” an invitation to savages.

We must never allow ourselves to be stranded without guns, while lawless, armed terrorizers are left at liberty to roam among us. Mallory Millett Manhattan

I was among the millions, along with President Barack Obama, who were convinced that after 20 innocent children and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, we finally had reached the tipping point. But no.

What does it say about the American condition that we still cannot find a way to curb gun violence?

If you’re thinking Sunday’s mass shooting in a Texas church was the wake-up call that progun-control people have been waiting for, it’s not. My guess is that after all the prayers and expressions of sorrow, it will be back to business as usual. Denny Freidenrich Laguna Beach, Calif.

A small town has been devastated by a maniac who fired on a place where people go to pray.

As long as there are people like Trump, who preach better mentalhealth screening instead of better gun control, massacres like Texas and Las Vegas will continue to happen. Ray Hackinson Ozone Park

The shock of the Texas church shooting has hardly cleared and the gun-control rhetoric machine is steaming fullspeed ahead, despite the fact that a hero with a semi-auto rifle shot the monster who killed 26.

The fact that this nutcase was already ineligible to own a gun but managed to get one anyway seems to be lost on the gun-control crowd. How many lives would have been saved if just one person in that church was armed, too?

The police cannot always protect us; we must be allowed to protect ourselves. Michael Pacer Paso Robles, Calif.

President Trump’s claim that the church massacre in Texas isn’t gun-related is vile.

If the killer didn’t have access to a Ruger-556, the loss of life would have been far less.

Responsible gun owners and hunters know that these weapons have no place in civilized society. Who needs to kill 26 deer in the space of a few minutes?

Conservatives, moderates and liberals must demand the banning of these devices. Howard Edelman Manhattan

All the sympathy in the world will do nothing to stop the epidemic of massacres.

With no end in sight to deadly shooting sprees, our legislators must shift focus on helping keep Americans safe.

We are a nation in dire need of common-sense gun legislation. JoAnn Lee Frank Clearwater, Fla.

The Air Force didn’t notify the FBI that the shooter was charged with domestic violence after he cracked his infant stepson’s skull and beat his wife.

This, combined with lying on his background check application, enabled him to purchase guns to murder 26 worshipers in Texas.

We need more gun control now? I agree. We need more responsible citizens like the barefooted hero, who demonstrated the best “gun control” when he had control of his gun and shot the Texas murderer. Michael Velsmid Killdeer Lane