LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Every reason to ban assault weapons
In his column (“A ban on assault weapons is an assault on all firearms,” Commentary, March 3) Ken Kossak gives yet another asinine argument about assault weapons, how they allegedly represent our freedoms, and why attempting to ban them is somehow antiAmerican.
Mr. Kossak asks the rhetorical question of what exactly is an assault weapon. According to dictionary.com, it is “a MILITARY rifle capable of both automatic and semi-automatic fire, utilizing an intermediatepower cartridge.“He uses the 1791 inclusion of the right to bear arms. When that right was added, the world was a much different place than it was in 1942 when Hugo Schmeisser of Germany created the world’s first weapon of that type, and it’s easy to imagine why it was created.
In 2020, the FBI stated that 13,620 people died by gun violence, and approximately 3% of those deaths were from assault weapons use. Using those figures, we can assume that 409 souls who were with us on Jan. 1 were no longer with us on Dec. 31 of that year. That last sentence, my assault rifle-loving friends, is reason enough for a ban.
While the question of guns in general is always up for debate, an assault weapon ban should be a nobrainer.
Gerry Griffin, Rumford
Keep LEOBOR the way it is
It is becoming obvious to me and others that House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio want to destroy the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights. And it is obvious that both of them are being influenced by mayors like Charles Lombardi of North Providence, former Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and others.
A version of LEOBOR reform sponsored by the Senate president passed the Senate in the final weeks of the 2023 session. That proposal would have expanded the hearing panel that reviews complaints from three to five members, along with increasing unpaid suspension from 2 to 14 days. According to Senator Ruggerio’s bill, which never made it to the House, a police chief or mayor can suspend an officer for up to 14 days. A first grade police officer earning $1,145 per week (approximately $163.50 per day) would lose $2,289 during that 14-day suspension. Even criminals don’t get fined that much.
These men and women of law enforcement put their lives on the line every day. These legislators and other groups don’t see the frustration of police officers who see criminals who have lengthy records free in our communities still committing crimes. Where is the outrage? There is none.
One of the bills introduced would allow a police chief to identify the officer being investigated before any hearing. This is ridiculous. Even if the officer was found innocent, his or her reputation is tarnished. In 2023, 378 police officers nationwide were shot in the line of duty, 46 of them died. We should be praising our police officers.
So, I’m asking our legislators to support our officers by keeping the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights the way it was written in 1976. It’s about time you start supporting our police officers and not the criminals. Ken Mancuso, Cranston
The writer is a retired Cranston police chief.