Dear Editor:
I read with interest Mr. Borger's comments in Dec. 20th Reader's Forum. It amazes me as to what extremes he and others go to avoid "The Elephant in The Room"! He mentions the 20 school children slashed in China the same day as the Connecticut shooting, but what he fails to mention is that not one of those children died! He also claims that a mass killing could be done with a machete, ball bat or a pipe bomb. Possibly, but highly unlikely!
In that same edition appeared an article "Pa. gun sales brisk following Conn. Shootings"; meanwhile the NRA continues to spoon feed us fear and paranoia. Guns do not bio-degrade. Many end up in estate sales and in the hands of some 15-year- old burglar who either sells it or advances his career to armed robbery.
I have hunted animals and I have hunted humans in Vietnam. Assault weapons have one design purpose and that is "to kill many humans as quickly as possible". They were never designed to be "Man Toys". It has now been proven that these weapons along with high capacity magazines are "Weapons of Mass Destruction". Step around it, plug your ears, close your eyes, it can not be denied!
You claim you need these weapons for self protection. Do you carry an assault weapon with you when you go to work or shopping? Can you envision a situation of somebody breaking into your home where you could not protect yourself with a revolver or at minimum a six round clip. Do you aim and identify your target before you shoot, or does your wife and children have to worry about walking in on you in a dark house?
Yes, there are many causes for the violence we've accepted in our lives today. Video games, TV and movies are obvious ones which are also protected by the constitutional right of free speech, just as the right to own a gun is protected by the Constitution. The Constitution is a living document designed to be changed as times change. Remember, at one time it denied women the right to vote. After this last election, many of you probably dislike that change!
Respectfully submitted,
Allan Gustafson
Warren