Letter writer Marty Ansley missed the mark in his Jan. 30 letter concerning shootings in this country.
He seems to feel that the NRA and gun ownership are the reasons for all of these killings. I believe it’s far more basic than that. It’s the moral decay of this country, plain and simple.
We no longer teach respect for one another and life, nor do we teach loyalty, honesty, honor and love of country and God. Many of our children have no respect for property or person. Death is pretty common to them through movies, TV and video games. This is shown by violence done by children, sometimes less than 10 years old.
Our children have no fear of adults or authority, and our legal system as well as our education system have failed them as well as erosion of parental rights. Spank your child, spend some time in jail. Your child is as likely to turn you in as anyone.
We as a society have lost the vision of parental rights and responsibilities. Both parents work, more often than not, and the kids are left to their own devices. Their sole entertainment is in their smartphones, everything from information to games to pornography. It’s all right there, and kids spend most of their free time with their heads buried in their phones.
And Marty, it’s obvious you don’t know a thing about the NRA or gun ownership. There are far more responsible gun owners out there than irresponsible ones. Want to change things? How about the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school as well as prayer? How about teaching your children respect for adults?
I never called an adult by their first name when I was a kid. I respected adults and authority. Teach your children respect for the law. If a police officer approaches them they should be respectful, answer questions truthfully, and follow instructions. Should the recent deaths by police violence be tolerated? No. But if those people had just followed instructions and let the lawyers work it out they would still be alive.
The correct response is “yes, officer,” not “up yours” or “no way” or “why?”
While we’re at it, how do you propose to get rid of the millions of guns in existence? Someone bent on violence is not going to worry about having a concealed permit or legally getting a gun. They will buy one on the street or from their neighbor or a dishonest dealer.
Bruce Peterson
Centralia
