Opinion articles provide independent perspectives on key community issues, separate from our newsroom reporting.

Letters to the Editor

Gun laws and the tax law, readers take aim

In this Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, file photo, a family reunites following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. A commission tasked with investigating government actions surrounding the Florida high school massacre and the state’s other mass shootings is set to hold its first meeting, Tuesday, April 24. File photo.
In this Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, file photo, a family reunites following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. A commission tasked with investigating government actions surrounding the Florida high school massacre and the state’s other mass shootings is set to hold its first meeting, Tuesday, April 24. File photo. South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

Solutions: Death penalty for mass shooters

Revise the penalty for mass shooters.

Absent their death during capture, instead of a death or life sentence, these murderers, and others considering these horrendous acts thereby put on notice, should suffer in stages the same fear, pain and injury their victims suffer in their damaged status or life loss.

After all, a fitting sentence for crime is in great part to deter others from the same unlawful acts.

—Richard M. Holbrook,

Weatherford

Guns will not prevent fascism

The reader who recently visited a Holocaust Memorial in Hungary, and warned of fascist rule if guns are taken away in the U.S., is not using the right analogy.

Had Hungarian citizens owned guns they could not have prevented the roundup of Jews to send them to the death camp.

For example, the largest civilian uprising against Nazi Germany occurred in 1944 in Warsaw, Poland. Though they fought valiantly for nearly two months, they were simply no match against a well-equipped and well-trained army.

The Constitution of the United States limits the power of a president because of a written system of checks and balances with other branches of government to prevent fascist rule.

Guns alone will not prevent fascism or another Holocaust, but preserving the Constitution ultimately protects us all, including the right to own guns.

—Brian Rosson,

Fort Worth

Don't wait to make schools safer

Reading through what politicians are saying about metal detectors, steel doors, bulletproof glass and the like, the bottom line in Texas is that they will address it when they “return to work” in 2019.

In 2019?!

What about now, today, 2018?

So that by the time schools return in August, all high schools have implemented the necessary changes. And don’t tell me it can’t be done.

—Rick Johnson,

North Richland Hills

The NRA should provide insurance if they want to arm teachers

Some insurance companies see a heightened liability risk in teachers having concealed weapons on school campuses and are unwilling to provide coverage if they do.

Maybe the NRA should step up and provide that coverage without additional cost since they are so confident that arming the teachers would provide a safer environment.

That's even though statistical evidence is to the contrary.

—Bobby Darr,

Fort Worth

School shootings are about mental health

There is no gun control law that could have prevented the school shootings.

The problem is a mental issue.

Take care of your kids, know where they are and doing.

Did your child not make the football team, did his girlfriend dump him, is he overweight and laughed at, is he failing a class?

Understand what the problems are and what is making them think that this is the end of the world.

If he is wearing a shirt that says “Born to kill,” he will.

—Con Shuck

Granbury

More gun laws will not help

Our country does not have a gun problem. We have a mental health problem.

A mentally unstable person who wants to kill is going to kill, whether it be by knife, bomb, vehicle or other means.

We do not need more gun laws.

The National Rifle Association does not promote gun violence. The NRA seeks sensible regulations that protect law-abiding gun owners.

Not one NRA member or staffer has ever been involved in a mass shooting.

—Ken Ratley, Bedford

Discipline and God in our schools

I would like to commend all of the young people for getting involved, but they must learn about life first.

Gun control or any law is not going to stop someone who is determined.

They can pass all of the laws they want, but these guns are already out there and can be bought by anyone who really wants them.

The first thing that we need to do is put God back in our lives, school lessons and government.

The second thing we need to do is bring back discipline at home and in school.

—Rudy Bloodgood,

Granbury



New tax law is irresponsible

Vanessa Adia's editorial is correct. The new tax law is fiscally irresponsible. While increasing spending on defense, the tax cut will balloon the national debt $2.289 trillion over ten years per the CBO, burdening our children with more of our irresponsible debt.


Contrary to Greene's column, since the tax cut was effective on 0I/0I/2018, there has been exactly zero growth in the stock market's S&P 500 index.



The political fairy tale was increased growth would pay the bill. Reality is it benefits the richest 1% with lower taxes and higher stock dividends from higher company profits.



Greene overstated Trump's economic impact.



—Steve Hadley



Benbrook



Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER