Wednesday, January 23, 2013 • Whidbey News-Times
Letters CONTINUED FROM A6
Council Chambers. There was an awesome presentation by the Oak Harbor Youth Commission that was very informative and worthy of support. After the presentation when questions were offered I listened to Councilman Jim Campbell rant about why the “bad” kids are getting all the attention and nothing is offered for the “good” kids? I find that in today’s climate and change we still have people labeling others and refusing to see how that label can be detrimental to the cause. If I had listened to the labels while I was in school I probably wouldn’t be here. Therein lies the point. Labels can be one of the biggest things involved in drugs, alcohol and suicide among our kids. We have many programs for the socalled “good” kids that are also open to the so-called “bad” kids; why should we use more resources in a situation being maintained at a high level when it’s not needed? The kids that are having trouble is where our focus should be. These aren’t “bad” kids, they’re just kids that weren’t as lucky as the “good” kids when it came to resources or mentors. Labeling does nothing but set them up for the failure we seem so determined to afford them. All of our kids are “good” kids, some do bad things, but it’s the action that is bad, not the kid. I challenge Councilman Campbell to stop trying to throw a wrench in and maybe attend an event to see the good this group is doing, instead of armchair criticisms. The focus is on kids, not labels. Pamela Fick Oak Harbor
Gun control
Stricter law will make it safer Editor, I am not a member of the NRA, nor am I “anti-gun.” I have served in the military and understand and respect weapons. I am for responsible gun ownership and use, and I believe it is time for a serious local and national conversation about gun control. Historically, the NRA has dominated the conversation and hijacked the 2nd
Amendment for its own purposes to support gun manufacturers and anti-government paranoia. The NRA presents a false choice. They say that you either need to be for unrestricted gun ownership or for confiscation of all weapons. Neither of these extremes is desirable; the answer lies somewhere in the middle. These are some issues I think should be in the gun control discussion: First and foremost, all weapons, equipment and ammunition used for hunting should be legal and available. Secondly, government should have the authority to restrict gun ownership from certain people such as children, ex-convicts and the mentally ill. In order to enforce this there needs to be some form of background check done prior to procurement of a weapon. Licensing of weapons and gun safety classes should be considered requirements of gun ownership much in the same way we control the use and licensing of motor vehicles. Gun safety should require that all weapons not in the direct control of a licensed owner should be locked in a safe, and/or secured with a trigger lock. Ammunition should be secured in a separate locked area. There is also a legitimate limit to the type of weapons, equipment and ammunition that should be legal. In my opinion, there is no legitimate reason for civilians to own automatic weapons or other
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weapons of war. Large capacity clips should be illegal. Their only purpose is to provide the capacity to kill more, faster. Likewise, armor piercing ammunition or other exotic ammo that exists solely for the purpose of doing extreme damage should be illegal. None of these has anything to do with hunting. Consideration should also be given to limiting the volume of ammunition owned by an individual. In addition, laws should make penalties for armed offenses much more severe than those where weapons are not used. Gun owners who allow guns to fall into the hands of children or other unauthorized individuals should also suffer severe penalties. I am completely aware that one or some of these measures will not in and of themselves make us safer. I do not believe, however, that we should do nothing. There is an even more important, and related, discussion about the state of our mental health system and the social issues that lead to gun violence that needs to take place. I am certain, however, that limiting the access to certain types of weapons, controlling who can get weapons and establishing standards for responsible gun ownership with penalties for failures to comply would be great progress toward making our communities a safer place for our children to live. Art Huffine Oak Harbor
Disarming citizens makes a target Editor, Like Pandora’s Box, we have opened the box and can no longer put back what we have brought forth. As a species, we humans have, since man first stood upright, looked for bigger and better ways to kill our fellow man. Guns are just one of the many things we let out of the box, but like the others, we cannot put them back. Why, you ask? Simply because those who would do us harm would not, and there for the rest of us cannot. Disarm the citizens and you leave them open to be preyed upon by those no law will ever disarm. Prime examples: Australia disarmed its citizens and the next year crimes involving firearms skyrocketed. Israel had a school shooting incident; they train their teachers to shoot and carry weapons. No new school shootings since. The United States has as many or more gun control laws on the books as any country. Every time there is a new shooting that outrages the public, we enact more laws, but what we don’t do is provide the funding to enforce the laws we already have. No criminal is going to enter a place knowing there is a good chance of being shot. They want sheep, too meek
Page A7
to fight back; not sheep dogs with the will and fangs to fight back. Take a minute and think about just the latest shootings. Do you honestly believe either shooter would have gone into that theater or school if they thought there was any chance they would be killed? They are probably crazy, true, but not stupid. They both wanted soft targets.
has brought a wholly different experience, one that precludes all of those activities, one that is fraying people’s mental and physical health. No one signed an agreement to endure the unsustainable, unbearable bombardment of the Growler. What I/we don’t understand is the resistance of those in positions of decision making time to sit down with our community and address our concerns and seek alternatives. I am unaware of any one that does not agree that it is imperative for this training to occur. The question is, where are there air fields that provide the conditions necessary to train that do not impair the health and welfare of citizens? There are alternatives, out of population areas, where pilots could train without traumatizing others. I hope this can be addressed.
Gary Karg Oak Harbor
Option
Need to find other options for OLF Editor, There have been two recent articles related to the Outlying Field in Coupeville, each attesting to the urgency of the need to continue the important pilot training that takes place there. There seems to be an underlying message, in these articles, that people may not acknowledge, understand, or care, just how essential this training is. I would like to point out that nothing could be further from that perception. I have lived below the touch and go flight pattern for 40 years. Admittedly the noise has been an intrusion, but it was tolerable; it was possible to sleep, talk on the phone, watch TV, work, garden, or be outdoors on a nice summer night around a fire at the beach. Unfortunately the Growler
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Jan Pickard Coupeville
Preparing
Ready to protect self from dogs
Editor, As an avid hiker and mountain biker I have been accosted too many times recently at our state parks by aggressive dogs not on their leash. Please be aware that I will be carrying bear spray at all times and will not hesitate to use it against aggressive dogs. Richard Heade Oak Harbor
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Physical Therapy
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