A matter of definitions

Dear editor:

Responding to “Doc” Crawford’s letter printed on April 8. Dr. Crawford “resents the implication that students are taught propaganda and political correctness” and asks “if I (Ellen Varhalla) have listened to the students.” I have listened to students on both sides. I heard David Hogg say that it was a violation of his constitutional rights to be required to use a see-through backpack. I heard pro-Second Amendment student Kyle Kashuv make reasoned arguments against further gun control laws. A debate was proposed between the two: Kyle agreed; David declined. Additionally, Kyle was not allowed to speak at the “March for Our Lives” event.

Gun control in the United Kingdom is now being followed by knife control. Not only knives, but also screwdrivers, hammers, etc. are being confiscated from law-abiding citizens!

I looked up the definition of assault rifle on the Miriam Webster website: “any of various intermediate-range, magazine-fed military rifles (such as the AK-47) that can be set for automatic or semi-automatic fire; also: a rifle that resembles a military assault rifle but is designed to allow only semi-automatic fire.” It is only by the second definition that an AR-15 can be called an assault rifle. In my opinion, this is a politically correct definition.

Dr. Crawford stated that there were 35,252 deaths by firearm in 2015. This number is only slightly incorrect. (It has a typo; the correct number is 36,252), which is 1.34 percent of the total deaths that occurred. Road traffic accidents still kill more young people (ages 0-24) than homicide or suicide. And, the 1 million babies aborted each year dwarfs the number of all ages killed by firearms. May we all “humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways, so that God will hear from heaven, and forgive our sin and heal our land” 2 Chronicles 7:14. Ellen Varhalla Hot Springs