To protect homeland

First, I am a longtime believer in gun control—you should hit what you aim at. The Marine Corps Sniper School motto is “One shot, one kill,” a good goal for hunting, protection or war. Also the most humane.

I see and hear much discussion on the Second Amendment but it misses what I consider to be the true purpose—to allow the populace to resist an oppressive or tyrannical government. Example, socialism. Maintaining an armed citizenry is vital to our constitutional republic (we are not a democracy).

It is also vital to our national security that has stopped attacks on the homeland. It would be difficult and much too costly—not only money but also the loss of life and doubtful outcome—in a traditional war. It would be a fight for every inch of America and need constant lethal force, which fulfills the armed militia part.

I am a three-tour Vietnam veteran who doesn’t want another American see the horrors of war, who has no desire to ever see another American patriot face it again. That oath was to defend America, its legal citizens, and our Constitution from enemies foreign or domestic. It has no expiration date and I honor it, the most important oath that I have taken. There are millions more veterans like me that also took that oath, not including active-duty military, reserves, National Guard and law enforcement, who also took that or a similar oath and stand under it now. America first.

Remember one of the primary goals of an oppressive government is to disarm the people to remove the means of resistance, and also take over communication to control information. WAYNE KNOWLES Shannon Hills feel that students need to learn more about other black heroes instead of just MLK.

In today’s society, black students are not living up to their full potential and feel that they should live up to what they are told they have to be. Schools need to teach more about how much of an impact black people had on the world. We need to understand what we can do and learn about the people we can look up to. Learning that, even through the worst, blacks were able to make inventions and cause huge movements can cause inspiration to black male and females. Black people started from the bottom and then we were able to have a first black president.

No one learns that Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected into Congress, or that Mae Jemison was the first black woman to travel into space. If taught in schools or even touched upon, kids will begin to understand how big of a deal it was for these breakthroughs. It will inspire many teenagers to go to school and invent something new.

DYLON RUBY

Bryant