School safety
I've worked in TUSD schools since 1993. I felt very safe at Hohokam Middle School in the late '90s:
- Locked gates
- Steel over all windows and doors
- Sheriff's deputies on campus — many had tactical rifles in their patrol cars
- Super involved parents
- Pascua Yaqui police, just seconds away, who augmented our deputies
We have metal detector at airports, our courts and police stations.
I rarely hear discussions about physical security, enhanced barriers and law enforcement officers assigned to schools.
Scott Thompson
East side
Motivating gun discussion
In 1955, Emmitt Till’s mother allows an open casket of her murdered son to show the world what horrors were done behind a curtain of prejudice, ignorance and stupidity. We, the USA, to date have 1,316 school shootings since 1970 for many of the same reasons. Perhaps we, like Emmitt Till’s mother, should show a video to the world of the current Texas carnage and the other 1,315 aftermaths, absorb the devastation imposed on the victims and their loved ones, and only then listen to the arguments as to why the public has a right to own assault rifles.
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Lanetta Lee Elliott
Oro Valley
Pelosi and communion
Recently, Nancy Pelosi was denied Holy Communion by the Archbishop of San Francisco for her stance on abortion rights. Let's be clear. Pelosi was not denied Communion because she once had an abortion. She was not denied because she is an abortion provider or worked at a clinic. Pelosi was denied Communion because she refuses to use her political power to legislate her religious beliefs on the nation. There is a frightening trend among far-right Christian conservatives that should alarm anyone who respects the rights of people to practice any religion they choose, or no religion at all. Make no mistake, this signals an attempt to enforce some people's religious views on the entire country. The Constitution is very clear that the government cannot establish a religion.
Someone may feel that abortion is against their religion, is murder or immoral. But what they fail to understand is that nobody else is required to share their views about religion or abortion and we do not want their religion legislated on us.
Jennifer Larson
Northwest side
Regulate guns like automobiles
The Second Amendment enshrines gun ownership, nevertheless, gun usage can and should be regulated, to preserve our safety and security.
We need laws to regulate gun use like automobile use is regulated:
- License gun owners for usage only after they pass periodic safety tests.
- Require periodic inspection of licensed people's arsenals to enforce modification prohibitions (like smog checks on automobiles).
- Require gun users to carry insurance for damage done by their guns.
- Maintain and enforce background check databases to restrict guns from criminals, terrorists and mentally ill people.
- Require a three-day pause before gun delivery.
- Enable "red flag" powers for police to temporarily confiscate a person's armaments.
- Prohibit gun makers from marketing their lethal products to minors.
- Raise the minimum age for gun ownership to 21, or even 25.
- Prohibit sale, transfer and ownership of military-grade weapons.
These are sensible regulations. Opposing these regulations, Republican officials are actually enabling and condoning the ability of mass murderers to kill innocent children, women and men.
Bruce Joffe
South Tucson
Yes to Kerr
Re: the May 26 article "'When are we going to do something?' An open letter to Steve Kerr."
Chills ran through my body listening to Steve Kerr's pre-game press conference, when he addressed our national gun crisis. I turned to my wife a few minutes later and said, "We need Steve Kerr to come back to Arizona and win the primary against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema when her seat is next up for a vote in two years." How happy I was a day later to read Jim Lipson's guest column in the Star saying exactly that. I believe Steve Kerr would win in a landslide. We would have honest representation from a long recognized motivational leader who speaks and acts with passion, and has led people who trust and follow him. He would never betray voters by becoming someone other than who he claimed to be. We have had enough dishonest representation. Couldn't happen too soon.
Bill Evans
Southeast side
Guns and good guys
As the NRA gathers to listen to the bile spewed by Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and, of course, Wayne LaPierre, I wonder how the attendees feel about the NRA's repugnant slogan "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." It appears that a lot of "good guys with guns" stood around for an hour, worrying about their own safety, while inside Robb Elementary School children were being slaughtered.
Steve Robinson
Oro Valley
Hypocrisy
The conservative Christians, including conservative Catholics, contend that doctors and women who assist or seek an abortion of a pregnancy are guilty of federal crimes inclusive of murder. In fact, they contend that the unborn must be protected at all cost. These conservative groups in majority support the GOP, who at state legislative levels support forced pregnancies. What hypocrites! After a child is born these same groups will do nothing to ensure that children are not massacred in their classrooms by assault weapons, these same hypocrites did nothing while children were taken from their parents and placed in cages at the border. These same hypocrites will do nothing while GOP-controlled state legislatures strip funds from children's school lunch programs, public education, child health care programs and programs designed to assist pregnant women. They need to reevaluate what it means to be Christian.
Michael Coiro
Southeast side
Texas 2-step avoiding response
The loss of life in the massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, left us in a state of shock and disbelief. Once again, notwithstanding the other senseless violence throughout our recent history leaving us with many questions of fact and fiction as politicians, law enforcement authorities read a narrative that leaves one up in arms over the failure to respond by armed local police who were standing down and waiting for tactical support while loved ones listened to the sounds of a military-style rampage continue for more than one hour. This nightmare that is our history, mass shootings and incidents of violent crime in our country begs the question of who we are. What have we become when our children's lives are extinguished in a brutal moment? Where will this cultural divide lead as we struggle for a place to call home? We've just got to get better at this, to find an America we can believe in and trust again.
Lindy M. Elias
Midtown
McConnell distracts and deflects
The damnable Republican deflection and distraction has begun. Sen. Mitch McConnell directs Republican Sen. John Cornyn to “enter into talks” with Democrats on gun violence. Sounds like action. But think about it. This allows Republicans to say, “see we are serious about addressing this violence.” Serious, would be McConnell locking himself in a room with Speaker Chuck Schumer and staying there until they hammer out legislation to mitigate such gun violence. Trust me, enough draft legislation is there, discussions wouldn’t have to start from scratch. Serious, is saying there is no other business of the Senate until we get a way forward to protect our citizens, our kids. No, deflection, distraction, and off the Senate goes on vacation. Vote them all out of office!
Norman Patten
Midtown
Untenable solution
I have been following recent tragedies involving children killed mercilessly in their day-to-day lives. After “thoughts and prayers,” Republican talking points will offer how to "harden" elementary school targets. Why not train teachers to use AR-15s? They could purchase body armor out of their unreimbursed school supply budget! Maybe Gov. Doug Ducey who sits on his very large surplus could provide some funds since Arizona nationally is usually 49th or 50th in school spending? Nonetheless, I have a better idea! What about taking school resource officers and training them to obtain teaching certification? We could have them provide two services rather than the six or seven schoolroom teachers provide daily with barely a living wage. The police in Uvalde, Texas, did not want to act because they "might get shot." Why would we ever do this to our teachers who determine this country's future?
Alan Barreuther
Foothills
Red flag laws
While enacting Red Flag laws to protect us from the mentally ill we might start with the Republican Party, which feels entitled to storm our Capitol, deny the results of an election they lost, promote toxic masculinity and tout themselves as pro-life until 10-year-olds get massacred by semiautomatic weapons. They are willing to employ any means to maintain their power and dominance. I can't think of a better example of mental illness.
Craig Wunderlich
West side
Keep your guns
I don’t want to take your guns away. If you want a weapon in your home to protect and defend your family and property, that’s fine, but keep your guns where they are not accessible to children or anyone with mental issues. A pistol, an AK-47, even a cannon, is fine. But leave them home. If a member of law enforcement sees you with an assault weapon near a school, church, synagogue, grocery store, theater or a park they might mistake you for a bad guy with horrific results.
A previous letter suggested that you leave your AK-47 locked up at a licensed shooting range. Another suggested joining the military where those weapons were originally intended.
The Second Amendment was written when muskets were the heaviest personnel weapon available. Technology or not, heavier than a musket is a privilege, not a right.
Dave Glicksman
Northwest
A strong economy
With all the talk of rising inflation, I worried about the state of our economy. After reading the economic news published this past month, I have a better understanding of other factors involved and am no longer concerned.
President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan created more than 400,000 new jobs every month for 12 straight months, resulting in a solid streak of hiring that continues to defy inflation, supply shortages, the war in Ukraine and higher interest rates. Business is booming.
With 4,300 major construction projects underway across the country, unemployment rates are at their lowest level in more than 50 years.
Due to the ongoing monthly increase in jobs and higher wages, consumer spending is up, and it is outpacing inflation.
The national debt is down for the first time in six years, and the value of the U.S. dollar is at its highest level in 20 years.
I hope you too can rest a little easier knowing our economy is stronger than it has been in decades.
Jacolyn Marshall
Oro Valley
Minors and firearms
There are laws that prohibit minors from consuming alcohol, however in most places there are no laws prohibiting them from possessing assault weapons. Maybe people should use the same reasoning that prohibits them from consuming alcohol to the owning or possessing assault weapons or for that matter any firearms. Considering that most of the recent school shooting have been by minors, that might save lives in the future.
To enforce these laws, if a person leaves a weapon where a minor can obtain it, gives or sells them one to a minor they would be assessed a substantial penalty. If the minor commits a crime with the weapon the person who made it possible for them to obtain it would also held responsible for the crime. That might make people think twice before allowing a minor to have access to a firearm.
A law of this type would not infringe on the Second Amendment rights of adults.
Terry Anderson
Northeast side
Abortion and life
Re: the June 5 letter "What to do next."
The letter writer paints a picture of every child not aborted is destined for a life of foster care and/or jail. Frankly I never understood how a woman would not have the baby and give it up for adoption, but instead has no problem killing it.
To all those people decrying the school shootings (truly a tragedy), are you pro abortion? A life is a life whether it is in the schoolroom or the womb.
Deedee Bruster
Northwest side
