YOUR VIEWS
Act now
Re “For the fifth year in a row, Norfolk takes the top spot for sea-level rise on the East Coast” (April 5): The article has me concerned. But as April marks National Stress Awareness Month and National Volunteer Month, and Earth Day is just around the corner, now is the perfect time to discuss how to manage the shared responsibility that is the climate crisis.
Here in Virginia, climate change already impacts people, particularly in the form of frequent flooding. Anxiety gnaws especially at young people over what feels like an insurmountable challenge we must solve in our lifetimes. When those we’ve elected are not doing nearly enough to reduce carbon emissions and prepare us for future severe weather and more extreme temperatures, the derelict sentiment of “Gen Z will save us” is not appropriate.
It is appropriate that April shines a spotlight on stress, volunteering and the Earth simultaneously, because for many, they are all related. Earth Day presents a reminder that one of the best ways to ward off the existential stress of the climate crisis is to volunteer. Community engagement keeps us grounded and calm during any crisis — whether it’s personal or planetwide. Speaking and acting together for our Earth empowers us and helps future generations. And when the people in the halls of power refuse to act, citizens of all generations must demand more from those we elected — in town halls, alongside grassroots efforts and through our collective choices.
—Laura Copan, Williamsburg
Change gears
With each new mass murders or suicide by cop, there is an outcry for more gun control, such as banning a class of guns. Gun control laws are doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.
Stricter enforcement of “gun-free zones” is needed, they say. Mass killings can still occur when stricter enforcement is in place. There are roughly 22 states that allow school districts to determine if their district will allow trained staff to carry on school property. We should seriously consider a different path. Allowing trained staff to carry in schools may be a better course. Training is available from many sources: private certified firearm instructors, the National Rifle Association, Faster Saves Lives, etc. In a mass murder or suicide by cop, the quicker the response, the fewer deaths. What is quicker than a trained, armed person on site?
The woman who killed the children in Tennessee, in her writings discovered at her residence, may have considered more than one location. She discarded one location because it had “too much security.”
According to news reports, the young man who “went postal” at his bank in Louisville, Kentucky, was going to be fired. He left a note stating what he was going to do, a clear example of mass murder or suicide by cop. It is possible, if any of the employees had been trained, they may have survived and stopped the murder-suicide.
— Robert Wilson, James City County
Not the same
Re “AR-15s” (Your Views, April 12): The major difference in John Kates’s argument is when drunk drivers are held accountable, we don’t aggressively pursue Ford, General Motors, or the other auto manufacturers for the infraction of drunk driving.
We hold the driver accountable because it is the individual who offends, not the mechanical thing. Why we don’t take the same tact on guns is baffling.
— Stephen Davis, Virginia Beach
Reunion
We often read and hear about how bad public education is now compared to “back in our day.” I had to smile reading the notice in Sunday’s Compass concerning the Norview High School Class of 1978 holding its 55th reunion this August.
— Ben Potts, Norfolk