Rep.'s gun talk at school raises questions

I have no problem with an elected representative speaking to schoolchildren ["Support on gun control sought," News, Feb. 5]. However, when Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) spoke to those children at Mineola High School, the children were only exposed to one side of the issue.

Children in the education system should have the opportunity to hear from both sides so that they can make an educated, informed and unbiased decision. When was the last time one heard that someone from the National Rifle Association spoke at a school?

Ironically, we of the NRA do not receive the same welcome mat that was rolled out for the congresswoman. We do not receive the same opportunities to present our views.

Our schools exist to educate our children, to prepare them for adulthood, and not to socially engineer them into progressive-oriented activists.

Laurence C. Dittmer

Levittown
 

I support Carolyn McCarthy and her ongoing campaign to limit the firepower of handguns. I also applaud her decision to take the argument to the schools and educate our children in the danger of high-power, semiautomatic-weapon magazines.

What I cannot understand is the opposing viewpoint from people such as Budd Schroeder, chairman of the New York Shooters Committee on Political Education. His argument that suicide bombers and Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh were able to obtain weapons borders on insanity. Yes, there will always be evil people looking for ways to kill others, but to use that as an argument against gun control is as ludicrous as saying we can't stop scam artists from duping others so there shouldn't be a law against fraud.

If we continued down that road where would we stop? Should we repeal all laws since they are made to be broken?

Guns may not kill people, but they sure help.

Bruce M. Resch

East Meadow