According to the Gun Violence Archive, in 2023, we’ve had 146 mass shootings in the United States. 475 children under age 18 have been killed and 1,139 have been injured. Gun violence is a public health issue; we are in a crisis that has only escalated. Our country’s response has made it a partisan political issue. Our children aren’t being protected because the Second Amendment protects a citizen’s right to bear arms.
Essentially the right to own a gun supersedes the right to children not to be murdered. There is a belief that more guns would be the solution to protecting children. We’ve basically told teachers that we don’t trust them to teach our children without indoctrinating them. We want to go through their books and curriculum with a fine-tooth comb to “protect our children”, but we also want to give them the responsibility to carry guns to protect children from mass shooters. That seems very contradictory. Our teachers need to teach, not prepare, and train for a gun battle. It is the elected officials who need to protect our children with legislation, and we should hold them accountable for that.
Astrid FletcherNiles
Whiners?
I had the privilege of attending the public meeting at the Main Library hosted by the NAACP on April 3. The room was packed with citizens who wanted to hear Dr. Robert Einterz speaks. When his biography was read, I wondered how we were able to get him in St. Joseph County. Unfortunately, he resigned his position as health officer with the county Health Department because of political interference, he said.
Those in the room hung on his every word and the words of the other speakers and the Community Health Care workers. During his tenure,Dr. Einterz and his staff submitted grants for funding for many programs that have benefited the citizens of St. Joseph County. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been awarded to our health department, but our county council and commissioners want to hobble this dynamic and community minded entity by not accepting some of this “free money.”
I watched the news that evening, and saw that Commissioner Derek Dieter (who was not at the meeting) was asked for his opinion on the subject by a reporter. His answer was that this meeting was a “pity party” and that it seems like everybody wants to “whine.” This public official, who represents me and my district, believes that citizens like me who support a vibrant and vital public health department are whiners.This “whiner” will remember his words when I vote.
Diana GreenSouth Bend
protect them
While guns are the leading cause of death for children in the United States, Republicans are proudly protecting children from history, literature, art and anything else that might make Republicans feel uncomfortable.
Dave Coynes
Goshen
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: The right to own a gun supersedes the right for kids not to be killed.