Readers sound off on gun rights, Donald Trump, bicycle helmets and more
Manhattan: The slaughter of 49 Americans in Orlando has, once again, brought mass murders and the individuals who perpetrate them to the forefront of public debate. Fourteen killed at an office building in San Bernardino; 12 in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.; 27 at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.; nine at a church in Charleston, S.C. Prior to 1966, when Charles Whitman climbed a tower at the University of Texas and killed 16 people, instances of mass murder in a public space were virtually unheard of. Since then, however, senseless shootings have been on the rise in the United States. The Congressional Research Service released a report this year that charted an increase in these shootings since 1966, from an average of one per year in the 1970s to four in the 2000s and a significant increase in the last few years.
As a former NYPD Robbery/Gun Squad detective who worked in the South Bronx during the 80s and 90s, I can confirm that gun control laws had zero impact on the decision-making process of the 900 criminals I arrested and debriefed. None whatsoever. I removed more than 300 illegal handguns from the waistbands of criminals during that period and interviewed every one extensively about the acquisition of their weapon. Not once did they say that a stringent background check or a 72-hour waiting period influenced their decision to acquire a weapon. Of course not. They were criminals who bought guns for a few hundred bucks on a street corner or in a hallway.
Many of the 400 million guns in America are in the homes, cars, pocketbooks, waistbands or holsters of criminals or the mentally unstable. The argument that criminals or mentally deranged public mass murderers can be deterred or stopped by stricter gun control laws is a self-serving, ideologically driven lie.
Patrick J. Brosnan, NYPD (Ret.)
Hey, hey, NRA
Worcester, Mass.: Another mass killing involving an assault weapon. I assume we won’t hear anything from Wayne LaPierre and the NRA. At this time the burden is on them to explain why they object to a ban on assault weapons. Lou Farber
Why guns are different
Brooklyn: To Voicer Valerie Coffaro: The concern about guns is real and must be dealt with. We lose 33,000 Americans annually to gun violence. Most are innocent; many are children. There are many forms of violence, but if you haven’t noticed, gun violence takes the cake. When someone is threatened with a knife, odds are they can run. Guns are the most violent weapons, and not everyone is fit to have one. Barb Russo
No third type
Edison, N.J.: There are two types of people who want Donald Trump to be President: Ignorant people and stupid people. Ignorant people don’t understand what a compulsive, lying con man he really is. Stupid people know the difference and will vote for him anyway. John R. Guarini
Back in black
Mount Vernon, N.Y.: So a poll suggests Donald Trump will get only 1% of the black vote (“Orange is not the new black,” June 30). I don’t think so. Under this administration, blacks have seen very little progress, and under a Clinton administration they will see even less, with an open border with Mexico and hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern immigrants coming into the country. The few jobs available will be gone. When the black community realizes that, they will see that Trump is the only one who will help — and realize that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Ralph Cioffi
Obama’s enabler
Brooklyn: Is there anyone who thinks that when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state she acted on her own? That it was her doing to revive the Cold War with Russia, and not to seek justice for the jihadists who killed four Americans in Benghazi? That it was she who did not have a plan for the Arab Spring, that it was she who destroyed our relationship with Israel and that she is the one responsible for the rise of ISIS? While all this was happening, Obama was saying, “That’s OK, Hillary, whatever you do is fine with me.” Cy Grossman
Stop slacking, NYPD
Brooklyn: I have resided in Brooklyn all my life, and as I approach 53, it seems my community has been left to the wolves. I’ve seen it get worse every year since 1979 and the Dinkins administration. Giuliani killed off the Mafia and now low-level gangs have infiltrated our residential communities. With our new mayor not cracking down on pot-smoking thugs, it is even worse. Not three houses down, there are always raucous young teens smoking and selling weed outside their home whenever their parents are at work. It happens almost every day — and when the police are notified, nothing gets done. They are out there again and my home smells like marijuana. Since Hizzoner’s lackadaisical use of the police force, who are better equipped for non-confrontational activities, they have forgotten their core responsibility to serve and protect. I am a resident. I have rights. My quality of life is in jeopardy, but it seems that the pot-smoking hoodlums are the only ones who have their rights protected.
Peter Gassman
Black like me
Bronx: Voicer Joshua Jimenez’ response to Shaun King’s column is incorrect (“Justin has himself to blame here,” June 28). First, he should know his history. There is no such race as “Hispanic.” It was created to separate Latinos from blacks. Why? Because we come from the same slaves: the boats stopped all along the Caribbean Sea. And Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba were all drop-off points for African slavesellers. All our music comes from various parts of Africa. Mr. Jimenez, learn your history because you are black!
Patricia Juanita Taylor-Walker
Wool, meet eyes
Bronx: So, President Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch met together for 30 minutes and talked about his grandchildren? I have a bridge to sell you. How stupid does the left think we are to accept this explanation?
Mary Caggiano
Got your tongue
Las Vegas: I love cats. I have five. They’re a wonderful addition to a library. Please keep Browser in the library (“Cat loses Texas library mascot gig over puppy spat,” June 26). Susan Maor
Peddle more helmets
Manhattan: I was saved from concussions or more serious injury by wearing a bike helmet three times (“How a bike helmet saved my son’s life,” Op-Ed, June 29). Twice hit by vehicles. Once slipped on oil. When I worked at a bike shop, we gave a special price on a helmet whenever a bike was purchased. One day a customer walked in and said, “Thanks for recommending a helmet. You probably saved my life.” That’s when I began wearing a helmet.
Jack Brown
Put the brakes on
Manhattan: I find it appalling that a faculty member of a school of public health would make a public-safety call based on one anecdote, and one that he admittedly knows very little about because his son doesn’t remember his crash. Why in Europe do many cyclists not wear helmets, yet fewer people are killed riding bikes per capita? What about the public health benefits of Citi Bike, which could be curtailed if only people with helmets get to use the bikes? I am glad John Winkleman’s son is OK, but as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Mandate helmets, and fewer people will get the health benefits of cycling. And by having fewer cyclists on the road, that will make it more dangerous for those who remain because they have less visibility and drivers are more apt not to see them with rights to the road.
Daniel Kaplan
Off-color commentary
Stamford, Conn.: Maybe it’s me, but is there any sports broadcasting team on any TV station more annoying than Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez? I really feel sorry for Gary Cohen, who is a real pro. By the way, I’m a huge Mets fan. Thomas Smyth
Art of the Western World
Yonkers: I am baffled that people are even considering Kanye’s “Famous” bed scene art. All he did was add famous bodies, that he knew would get the people talking, to the American painter Vincent Desiderio’s canvas “Sleep.” If it was an original idea, then maybe would I consider it art. But I think he knows Taylor Swift and Bill Cosby are getting Googled more than him and he got jealous, again. Or he’s just embracing being a Kardashian and looking at everything and thinking: How can I profit off of this? In Kanye’s own words, “Jesus saves.” Hopefully, he’ll see the light soon. Michelle Ryan