Second Amendment and D.C. slayings

6:02 p.m.Sept. 18, 2013

Steve Breens Sept. 17 editorial cartoon on the Washington, D.C., shooting asks why, but I think the more pertinent question is how.

The answer is with a gun. If a terrorist group or a foreign country was assassinating our citizens at the rate domestic gun violence is doing it, society would be in an uproar and fighting on all fronts.

Most Americans want reasonable gun control. The framers of The Bill of Rights did not have modern weapons in mind when they drafted the second amendment. This country is being held hostage by the National Rifle Association, which is supported by our senators and representatives. When will enough be enough?

Jennifer Ouellette

San Diego

Steve Swendrowskis request (Letters, Sept. 18) for stronger mental health laws instead of better gun-control laws has become the catchword of the National Rifle Association for some time.

In answer to this, please note once and for all, the person who has a severe mental illness has about a 75 percent chance of killing himself rather than going on a rampage to slaughter others. And if the police in Rhode Island saw the severity of Aaron Alexis delusions and hallucinations, why they did not take him to the nearest psychiatric unit for a complete examination?

As a mental health social worker for 40 years in San Diego, I know the local police have instructions on dealing with this type of situation and if they feel the person is a danger to himself or others, they can act accordingly.

Ray Schwartz

Continued here:
Second Amendment and D.C. slayings