Your letters July 2, 2022

And, thank you SCOTUS for unleashing huge back-to-back decisions on successive days. By voiding R v. W, you have placed women in jeopardy and elevated the liberties of a glob of undifferentiated cells to more importance than the liberties of the adult or teenage women bearing the glob. Crazy!

What these back-to-back bench legislations show is how individual liberties are interpretable, the interpretation of which depends on which political party one supports. For instance, Republicans love to harp on individual liberties when pushing for gun rights but with women, not so much.

The Republican Party has been taken over by the religious right and the MAGA ultra-nationalists-white-skinned nuts. Their control is frightening. Their disregard for women is disgusting.

They must be voted out.

Dr. Bob Stuber

St. Joseph

Firearms should

be regulated

How many is too many? How much is too much?

My research tells me that just since 2009 there have been 277 mass shootings in the United States resulting in 1,565 people shot and killed and over 1,000 people shot and wounded.

There are far too many instances to list individually in this limited space. For a complete list including details, simply go to the website “Mass Shootings in the US” for an accounting starting with the Feb. 2, 1996, Moses Lake, Washington shooting where two students and one teacher were killed and one student was wounded.

The list I referred to ended with the mass shooting on May 24, 2022 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas., where 19 students and two teachers were killed and where many others were wounded.

Just as Thompson machine guns were outlawed in 1934 and where it became a criminal offense to sell or possess such a weapon, why in all reasonable, rational sense does our government allow the unregulated sale and ownership by individuals of any assault type, automatic high-caliber weapon?

In no uncertain term, be it known that I’m totally against unregulated ownership of any type of firearm. This belief is based on unfortunately knowing of both accidental and intentional death or injury by use of an unregulated firearm.

Many ask “what about the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution?” This amendment states “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Notice the wording “a well regulated Militia.” The Second Amendment doesn’t say that any individual, much less any fool, idiot, unstable or otherwise mentally deprived person can own an automatic, high-caliber firearm.

Also, the Second Amendment was ratified on Dec. 15, 1791. This was at a time when multiple shot, high-caliber weapons were never heard of nor dreamed of!

Such laws that were written many, many years ago may not be applicable to today’s times. We have evolved into becoming the immoral sick society that we are today. I’m so happy that I’m now living in the twilight of my years here on earth. I won’t be forced to have to accept further changes for the worse.

Don H. Roach

St. Joseph