Letters on removing guns, gun deaths, AFP and Medicaid, Muslim families, immigrant surge

Removing guns is not the answer

The opinions I have read recently concerning the need for additional gun laws or even the repeal of the Second Amendment show a level of naivete that boggles the mind. The psychiatrist who thinks that repealing the Second Amendment will help solve the gun-violence problem needs to spend some time on one of his colleagues’ couches (“Hard to predict, prevent violence,” Oct. 7 Letters to the Editor).

Criminals, by definition, are lawbreakers, and they are not going to obey a law that says they have to turn in their guns or pass a background check. Just because guns are removed from those who today legally own them does not mean that the supply of guns will diminish. There will always be someone who will ensure that the supply continues, albeit at a high price. If you doubt that, just take a look back at the Prohibition era to see how well banning alcohol worked.

I do not advocate for more guns, but I certainly do not support removing guns from those who legally and responsibly own them. Becoming licensed and going through training in gun safety and handling should be a requirement of gun ownership. If you are going to own a gun for defense or hunting, it just makes sense to know how to use it, take care of it and keep it secured.

In today’s world, with society and social mores coming apart, telling people that they should not or cannot defend themselves is like sticking your head in the sand and thinking all of the problems will go away.

Killing children

I couldn’t believe what I heard on TV news, so I researched it on the Internet. It was true: 10,000 children are injured or killed by guns yearly in the United States. Some of the shootings are accidents; others are murders. This is sad.

More children are killed by guns than by cancer. The gun issue needs to be looked at more seriously.

Punitive view

The state director for Americans for Prosperity-Kansas asserted recently that Medicaid is bad for recipients (“Wrong solution,” Oct. 1 Letters to the Editor). Medicaid benefits may lag those of employer and private health plans, but they certainly are better than no health benefits at all.

Until AFP and its ilk propose a detailed plan describing how they will provide health benefits to the old, the children, the disabled, etc., they need to quit advancing mean-spirited arguments designed to disenfranchise our most vulnerable citizens.

On a related note, conservatives have long lamented a “cradle-to-grave” approach to a social safety net. Many of those conservatives also are staunch pro-life proponents. It seems that their idea of a safety net is based on a conception-to-birth principle. Their guiding light seems to be that once you’re born, it’s your own tough luck for choosing to be born into the wrong family, or with the wrong skill set, or with disabilities. After birth, you’re on your own, and if you are purged by “natural selection,” that is just God’s plan for improving the gene pool – too bad for you.

That is a very punitive worldview that is self-serving at best for those with abundant resources.

Small thinking

To all of the wonderful, caring and loving Muslim families whose young children I have had the privilege of teaching: I am deeply, deeply saddened by the backlash created by the transformation of the Wichita State University chapel (Oct. 7 Eagle).

The lack of understanding and the small-thinking comments create yet-another unfortunate roadblock in peaceful community relations. The Jesus I know and love would be ashamed.

Immigrant surge

Europe, and recently our country, is increasingly suffering from a self-inflicted injury. The birthrate is below replacement, resulting in a skewed population favoring older citizens. The older members are no longer productive and increasingly in need of care. The lack of young people results in not enough workers in industry and the maintenance of governmental services. This imbalance is expensive because of reduced industrial productivity coupled with exploding retirement benefits.

We in the Western world strenuously avoid mention of this problem while others dutifully take note. Not surprisingly, the embattled Middle East has abruptly unleashed a large, multipronged surge of young Muslim men toward Europe. They appear to be well-equipped, healthy and purpose-driven.

Europe is clearly unprepared and ill-equipped to respond to this assault on its integrity. Europeans, on one hand, wish to be hospitable but, on the other, sense a real threat to their national unity.

It would appear to be urgent that our administration be candid in describing what is happening and propose a proper NATO response. An organized and unified Western strategy is urgently needed and should be proclaimed. Is this president capable of such leadership?

Try to open

It’s a good thing those package designers aren’t in the kitchen with me when I try to open a new box of cereal or a bag of coffee.

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Letters on removing guns, gun deaths, AFP and Medicaid, Muslim families, immigrant surge."