What will we learn from the West Freeway Church of Christ shooting?
Why can’t we learn from others?
It is important to learn the right lesson from the shooting at the West Freeway Church of Christ.
Yes, a member of the security team shot the assailant, but only after two security volunteers lost their lives. Had reasonable gun control measures been in place and enforced, the assailant might not have had a gun.
There is no perfect deterrent for gun violence, but other countries have proved that reasonable gun control is highly effective.
If more guns made people safer, the U.S. would not have the highest rate of gun violence among developed nations.
- Karen Myers, Fort Worth
Prevention a better goal
The spate of recent articles lauding the quick and efficient reaction to the shooter in the White Settlement, along with articles about actions churches are taking to guard against threats, highlight a necessary step our society must take. But these protections mainly serve to reduce the body count, as the attacker always has the advantage of shooting first.
Despite the extremely quick reaction of the security members at the White Settlement church, two men were still murdered. Along with the protection efforts, society should also redouble efforts to identify people who are struggling and could become threats and pass laws to prevent these people (at least temporarily) from possessing firearms.
- Paul Park, Fort Worth
Quit blaming the Granger family
The Trinity River Vision project was not cooked up by Rep. Kay Granger and her son, J.D. Granger. It was brought to the leaders of Fort Worth by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and enthusiastically embraced by those same leaders as a way to bring the river into play as an important feature of the city.
Congresswoman Granger agreed to fight for it in Washington. She did not hire her son. J.D. Granger has not been found to have indulged in anything other than trying to do the job assigned to him.
This city should stop the mudslinging and get to work to complete this very important project.
- Wanda Conlin, Fort Worth
Thanks for stepping in on lenders
I applaud the City Council for taking much-needed action to curb the practices of payday and auto title lenders. (Dec. 19, 3A, “Fort Worth City Council approves payday lending regulations”)
Consumers need access to short-term loans with reasonable terms. We also deserve to be informed and protected, not become victims to predatory lending practices.
These new regulations seem to be a good start toward shielding consumers from harmful practices. I hope the council’s action will help people avoid falling into money traps and endless cycles of debt.
- Karen Cooper, North Richland Hills
Leave Trump alone for our unity
If President Donald Trump were removed from office, would the nation be better off? After Democrats have spent three years trying to find a reason to impeach the president, we find the nation deeply divided, even though no one can argue that the nation is not better off economically.
Meanwhile, our foreign adversaries see a divided nation. Would our enemies try to take advantage of the president’s removal?
How about the economy?
Whether you like Trump or not, he is our elected president. Stop this impeachment effort and allow the electoral system to do its job in 2020.
- Jack Bullard, Colleyville
This story was originally published January 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM.