We must put pressure on public officials who refuse to pass rational gun legislation

Again the country faces another disaster of senseless violence within two weeks brought on not just by the perpetrators of the crime but also by the cowardice and self-interest of the legislators of this nation. The press, TV commentators and public officials are all making their assessments of the situation, but to what avail? They question, “What was his motive?” Everyone is offering “thoughts and prayers.”

What difference does it make what the motive was? When an unhinged person can buy a deadly weapon as easily as buying a pack of gum, how can a society be safe? Can “thoughts and prayers” bring back the dead, or repair devastated families?

My son and his family live in Denver, and I feel this personally. This is the third mass shooting in Colorado in recent history. Have these horrific situations changed the mindset in Colorado or other states? For example, despite these tragedies, the huge Bass Pro Shop for sporting goods in Denver still devotes an entire floor to the display and sale of all types of lethal firearms and ammunition. We don’t know all the details of this mass shooting, but we do know that without some uniform federal laws, this carnage will never decrease.

Legislatures at the state and federal level are too much under the influence and pressure of the NRA and the gun manufacturers’ lobby. The only way to combat this pressure, which goes against popular national opinion and desire for more sane legislation, is to put the same pressure on public officials who refuse to pass rational gun legislation. There are numerous organizations that lobby for national background checks and restrictions on automatic weapons. Clearly, as individual groups, they have had little impact on Congress. They include the Brady Campaign; the Coalition to Stop Violence; Every Town for Gun Safety; Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; Mayors Against Illegal Guns, etc.

Until these groups unite, pool their resources and form one organization with the intent of a pressure campaign equivalent to the NRA and the gun lobby, nothing will change.

If members of Congress continue to operate against the concerns of the country’s population, they need to be voted out. The Constitution does include the Second Amendment, but the preamble also dedicates this document to “insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, and promote the general Welfare.” Gun violence must be contained. Every American has the right to feel safe in public and not fear being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Betty Kleinberg, Deerfield

Stop the destruction of the USPS

Our old friend Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is at it again. Lying about how his plans to slow mail delivery and cut hours are part of his “10-year strategy to stabilize the struggling agency.”

Please. Gutting the agency is more like it. And weakening the pesky American Postal Workers Union is just icing on the cake.

Only Congress and President Biden can stop the rampant destruction of an agency that has served us well — through wars and pandemics — since 1775. Tell them to oust this odious, pathetic excuse for a civil servant.

Martha Meyer, Rogers Park