Fearing violence isn’t freedom

On a recent trip to Australia, I remember feeling a palpable sense of ease walking into malls and other public areas because I knew a mass shooting is far less likely to happen there than in my own country.

This is a stark reality that we can no longer ignore. With another mass shooting in California — this time in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday night, where at least 12 people were killed at a country western bar — we need stringent gun laws as soon as possible. We must ask: Do we love our guns more than our fellow Americans who have died in these shootings?

Our cherished right to bear arms is costing us innocent lives. Deranged and sick people have easy access to guns. This is not freedom.

Walking around Sydney without worrying I would be gunned down is freedom. Not feeling afraid when my little brother goes to school is freedom. Our kids learning without fearing violent death is freedom.

America needs to prioritize its people over guns. This should not be a partisan issue. Huma Munir

Miami

Another mass shooting has occurred, this time at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks. Many fine people were killed there, and President Trump has made a statement about the tragedy.

However, I wonder if it has occurred to him that the vast majority of these mass shootings have been committed by white males who are United States citizens. Will having a wall

or thousands of activeduty troops at the border with Mexico stop these shootings? Robert B. Corsun

Sherman Oaks

Once again, we awoke to news of another shooting, another vigil, another moment of outrage. And yet no one addresses the issue of gun control.

Once again, people who knew the alleged gunman were aware that he had problems.

Like everyone else, I am disgusted and heartsick over these instances. And still everyone points to the 2nd Amendment, which was written in the 18th century by old white men who wanted to make sure the states had militias. Do we still need a militia?

Troubled people have too many guns, and nothing effective is done. In the meantime, I will wait for the next mass shooting and the next vigil.

Eileen Martin

North Hollywood

The cashier at the bar gave me a quick smile, like she always did, took my $5 and said, “Have a good evening.”

My phone has been ringing all morning — no, I wasn’t there Wednesday night, but I usually am. In another sense, we are all there in our emptiness. Maybe all that is left to bind us together is our emptiness.

A store, a synagogue, a yoga studio and now a country western bar. Another sweet smile taken, and the bright light of our country has been dimmed once again.

She was young, and maybe that is all we get to remember her by.

Kevin Anthony

Studio City