Terrible timing
Headline: 21 killed in shooting at Uvalde elementary school; gunman dead, Gov. Greg Abbott says. Our thoughts and prayers go out.
On a happier note, don’t forget the upcoming gun show at the Pima County Fairgrounds. There will be something for everyone!
Dale Emmel
Southeast side
Predictable NRA response
The Republican/NRA response will be predictable. Twenty-one more dead Americans. “Thoughts and prayers,” “Good guys with guns,” “Guns don’t kill people” — Yada yada. Why don’t they just say it? This is just collateral damage, a small price to pay for my Second Amendment rights to own and use whatever method of mass homicide I choose. This is not personal or home protection anymore, it is a license to commit warfare against innocent people. I fear there will never be too many dead kids to change this sickening pattern. It is long past time to ban assault, fully automatic and ghost weapon sales, enhance background checks and stop undocumented gun show sales. The Republicans are owned by the NRA. After each mass shooting, I keep hoping they will stand up to the NRA but alas, I am always disappointed. Only when their children become victims of slaughter might they do the right thing.
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Tim Wright
Foothills
Gun violence
To all the people running for office who heavily promote their support of guns: Your adoration of all manner of guns for all is largely responsible for the gun deaths in schools, churches, etc. Your pursuit of freedom for guns is taking away the freedom of life for innocents.
Jean Barkly
East side
Stop replacement talk
The news at first reported 14 children died in another school shooting. This morning I woke up to find even more children had succumbed to this horrible attack.
Ten African-Americans were killed in a Black neighborhood in Buffalo. The posted manifesto of the mass murderer in Buffalo suggested his fear of being replaced by non-whites.
Eighty-three percent of the population in Uvalde are Hispanic. Did the mass murderer in Uvalde also leave a manifesto, will it also reveal a fear of replacement?
I am pleading with those who run campaign ads and promote public rallies to stoke replacement fears to stop now. You are killing us.
Donna Johnson
Midtown
We all pay the price
We are all reeling from the Texas elementary school shooting. Nineteen fourth graders and two teachers were massacred. As I listen to the various public officials report on the tragedy I am struck by a recurring omission. The 18-year-old shooter was the first victim.
A friend of the shooter reported that he had a speech impediment, was ruthlessly bullied for years and his mother was a drug addict. There is never an excuse or even a viable reason to murder people, especially young children. His young friend was horrified but he told the reporter that the shooter needed love.
Can you even imagine the pain the shooter lived with every single day since he was a young child? Do you know how much it hurts to be bullied and even your own mother doesn’t care?
I want to know why his teachers, his neighbors, the parents of his few friends didn’t notice his pain? It’s too easy to say we saw no indications that he was capable of doing something like this. I want to know why didn’t you notice? Why didn’t you help the poor boy years ago? So easy to think it wasn’t any of your business, but it damn sure was! Now we all pay the price. The parents of the dead children will never get over this and you shouldn’t, either. It’s time to stand up and speak up. Children matter, every single one of them!
Susan Bump
Bisbee
Violent culture
Evil did not kill those children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas. A kid with a too easily procured weapon killed them.
The devil didn’t make him do it. Ending the forced promotion of “God” in schools didn’t make him do it. Critical Race Theory didn’t make him do it.
It’s too early to determine if mental health issues may have played a part in his actions, but as a retired sociology professor I can tell you some things that did play a part. A culture that actively promotes violence at all levels of the socialization process, a corporate power structure designed to interfere in any social change which diminishes its profits and a political system adapted to that structure in the most corrupt ways possible — blended in with the expanding disengagement of authoritative parenting — is what led, mostly, to that kid killing those people in Texas.
The only real evil is the rejection of social responsibility because of a growing cult of ignorance and individualism.
Rick Scifres
Green Valley
Need new definition of ‘real men’
I was brought to tears yesterday watching a young dad clutching a photo of his little girl, while struggling for words to describe her as a loving and kind child. I personally want to let him know that her common displays of love and kindness are in no small part because she had a loving man as a father. Our society used to judge “real men” by their character, love of family and community. I wish we had men like this dad in positions of trust in our government. Instead, we have too many “weak” men in government leadership, who define manhood in terms of power and dominance. This style of leadership inevitably leads to violence.
To prove his “manhood”, the 18-year-old Texas gunman purchased an assault weapon, which has apparently become the new cultural symbol defining adulthood for so many young men. The violent result is another school massacre.
One has to ask our culpable leaders; how do you wash the “spots” from your hands?
Edward Heller
Northwest side
Congress must lead like Tucson
Re: the May 22 article “Tucson may leave some CAP water in Lake Mead.”
I see that Tucson is offering 20% cuts in CAP water to avert a near-term crisis at Lake Mead.
This is political leadership. While some wait for others to make the tough decisions, Mayor Regina Romero has stepped up, but it’s not enough.
We must tackle the primary cause of our water problem — climate change. The courage shown by Tucson’s mayor is also needed from Congress.
National policy to stem the use of fossil fuels is necessary right now. We are hurtling headlong into a major economic crisis for which there will be little we can do if we don’t begin an orderly transition to non-polluting forms of electricity.
Our best hope right now is in the Senate with legislation to incentivize the move to electric vehicles, greater efficiency, and a grid that can handle renewable energy sources. Our senators must step up and lead like Tucson. Write them and let them know you agree.
Edward Beshore
North side
Blood on their hands
Dear Media,
Please publish the names of every Congress person and senator who accepts money from the gun lobby. If possible, state the amount each takes into their campaigns from not only the gun lobby, but from the National Rifle Association.
Dear Voters,
Take your support away from those who sell their souls for this blood money. Their campaigns are paid for with the lives of our children and our neighbors.
Think. Act. Vote.
Brigid Waszczak
Foothills
Assault weapons not for civilians
Assault-style weapons should not be sold to civilians, guns should not be sold to anyone under 21, guns should not be sold without a thorough training and education certification, body armor should not be sold to civilians, high-capacity magazines for military use only, video games, movies and TV shows that normalize gun violence should be X-rated, video games that have the user as the active shooter should be for 21 and older only. In traffic school many years ago we were forced to watch movies of grisly traffic accidents. As gruesome as it seems, those pictures of kids playing gleefully and then the blast from a nuclear explosion worked. PSAs showing bright and happy kids playing and then the aftermath of a school shooting would be necessarily gruesome. Let’s make some new laws and some new PSAs. America still does one thing great; we make great movies.
Carl Foster
Green Valley
Slaughter of innocents
Once again, we had some armed madman go into a school full of innocent children and their teachers. Having been a teacher who went through countless practice lockdown drills and three live shooter situations in the last 15 years, I can understand the fear that went through the minds of these poor victims.
Isn’t it about time that we enact laws where assault-type weapons are no longer able to be purchased so easily? I’m old enough to remember when John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a disgruntled 24-year-old and stringent rules were enacted that severely restricted (for a time) firearm sales. But today, we had a U.S. senator saying that “millions of ... Americans shouldn’t lose their gun rights because of one 18-year old.” And Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas in his press conference mentioned “mental health” six times, but didn’t mention gun control once. Isn’t it time that they wake up and smell the cordite? How many innocent lives will be lost before common sense wins out?
John Tadlock
East side
Democracy in jeopardy
Democracy?
Democracy in America is disappearing fast, Republican states are removing the right to manage our own bodies, the right to vote and I’m guessing very soon the freedom of religion, that is unless you are a devout Christian, as well as the freedom of speech.
Since the last, actually before the last election, the assault on voting rights began with the president declaring early voting was going to cheat him out of a second term. He and his minions following that up after the election, again declaring widespread fraud and cheating gave Democrats victory over him.
Every court in the land found no fraud, no skullduggery and nothing illegal happening. Even the Republican packed court found no wrongdoing. Still the claims ring out and Republican states change voting rights and the right to control our own bodies. Americans beware. Republicans beware.
Larry Huff
Midtown
Kerr on the mark
Thank you Steve Kerr for expressing and vocalizing my opinions so eloquently. I can only hope people will listen. But, like you, I am tired of just hoping.
Robert Finley
Midtown
Body armor shouldn’t be sold
There are two issues that are impossible to debate with the thought of changing someone mind: abortion and guns.
All I am hearing is hardening schools and adding more security. After that, then add grocery stores, theaters, restaurants, etc.
The Buffalo grocery store carnage has now been followed by the Uvalde elementary school. Couldn’t we all agree on the issue of civilians purchasing body armor? We all agree we are a free country but that doesn’t mean we should be allowed to purchase body armor.
Body armor is made to protect law enforcement and those in the military. In both of these incidents, the shooter was hit by bullets from law enforcement. They did not stop them because of the protection they wore. Without it, they might have been stopped earlier.
I request we all contact our representatives and outlaw the sale of body armor to civilians.
Jack Walters
Northeast side
Our national tragedy
As we reel again from death and destruction to our most innocent children our hearts break and we search for answers and solutions. We first must look to the reasons our nation is on this destructive, evil path. Our families, have been blown up by divorce and unwed childbearing. We have seen pornography become normalized and we have been desensitized by violent entertainment and video games. And abortion, including ending of life up to the moment of birth, is pronounced to be our right. Only when we return to God and His truth will be able to fight this evil plaguing our nation.
Pat Moore
Foothills
A good deed
Last Tuesday, I turned off Ajo onto a side street to adjust the load on my trailer. Finishing the adjustment, I attempted to get off the trailer by sitting on the raised edge of the trailer. While inching forward I lost my balance and fell back into the trailer, looking like an upside down turtle.
A young couple had seen the fall and stopped their car, asking if I was OK. Yes, I was. Then the young man got out, climbed onto the trailer and offered his arm to pull me up. They stayed until I got into my truck.
A kind act by a young couple helping an older man. Strangers helping a stranger. Thank you!
Bob Reynolds
East side
