Letters to the Editor 12-27-12

Funding schools
Editor: You are trampling on facts for the sake of sensationalism.
I refer to your statement about “high powered automatic weapons that can shoot hundreds of bullets in seconds” in reference to “Our nation of laws guarantee our right to self-defense and to bear arms”.
Please note that automatic weapons (those that fire continuously after the trigger is depressed and until it is released) in the hands of the civilian population are banned in the state of California, much less in the United States of America.  That is a law in place already.
Please note that semi-automatic weapons (those that require a separate pull of the trigger for each round that is fired) are legal.  That includes hand guns, shotguns, and rifles (target and hunting).
The rate of fire that you refer to – “hundreds of bullets in seconds” – how many seconds? Five? Ten? Hundreds?  “Hundreds” in ten seconds (meaning at least 200 as a minimum, for the plural of “hundred”) is a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute – a rate that is far beyond even military crew-served weapons.
Yes, I believe that the deterioration of the social fabric of America is responsible for the insanity culminating in Newtown.  Fix the gutted mental health system as well as the penal system that releases unstable and/or felonious individuals back onto the streets.
Until we all magically transform into a race that does not condone violence upon anyone, there is the need to prepare for defense of one’s self and one’s family.  The time needed to respond against persons intent on bodily harm is far shorter than the time required to call 911 and await for the after-the-fact response of law enforcement.
Jeff McDonald
Windsor