Honk if you chose parody

Jerry Trammell's commentary of Feb. 4 ("Honk if you support drivers' rights") is either the rantings of a lunatic or a well-contrived parody. Both expressions are evidenced in today's society, but I hope you have chosen the latter.

RICHARD GUTHRIE
DUBLIN


A right that protects against tyranny

Another great day on the editorial page. Tom Taylor's "Limit man-made laws; return to God's" commentary (Feb. 6) is right on point, indicating his understanding of the founding principles of the United States.

Taylor illustrated that tyrants, dictators and rogue governments disarm citizens before oppressing them. This has occurred for centuries and continues today. Our Founding Fathers were well aware of this fact.

One must consider the context in which the first 10 constitutional amendments were written. Virtually everyone owned a gun for hunting food, protection from wild animals and occasional skirmishes with Indians. Owning a gun was as commonplace and necessary as owning a pair of pants. So why was an amendment added to the Constitution to guarantee that a citizen could own a weapon?

The sole purpose of the Second Amendment is to prohibit the government from disarming law-abiding citizens. It's citizens' rights, not gun owners' rights, that are protected. All 10amendments in the Bill of Rights are for protection of citizens from the government.

As Taylor indicated, when we collectively fail as good citizens, we should look for the root causes in our Judeo-Christian principles rather than attack the genius of our founding documents.

WILLIAM C. FIZER
ROANOKE


Shoot, what an appalling idea

I wonder sometimes what lawmakers have been drinking or smoking when they start talking about the possibility of arming teachers.

Anyone with half a grain of mental capacity should realize that any gun-handler or expert marksman who would enter a school could take out a teacher before said teacher could ever get a bead on the perpetrator.

Think about it, people. What type of mental damage would this have on any student who should witness a teacher packing a piece with intent to do bodily harm, if necessary, when push comes to shove?

Psychologically speaking, in the eyes of the student, the teacher would rank side-by-side with a gunman. Sensors need to be placed in schools, not teachers packing a piece.

PHYLLIS HARMON
ROANOKE


Gun violence is a societal issue

I've read many letters in The Roanoke Times about gun control in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings, some better than others. The media tend to equate assault rifles and the need for gun control as an issue to be addressed by the present federal administration.

I have a couple of problems with this scenario.

First: "Assault rifle" and "gun control" are arbitrary terms, and only used in a way to promote a political agenda.

Second: The current Justice Department has proved it cannot handle tracking gun sales or transfers, with the "Fast and Furious" operation failing miserably.

While everyone is saddened by the loss of schoolchildren's lives wherever and whenever it happens, I feel any solution should come from society and common goodness.

The majority of American firearms are made in New England states, and no, their plants will not be shut down. Again, we must do better as a society.

LEON THOMPSON
CHRISTIANSBURG

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