Letters for Dec. 21

Are our legislators in the 68%?

I have just seen from reliable news reporting that 68% of the Republican Party does not believe Biden is the legitimate president; that the election was stolen, and Trump should be in the office.

This is hard to believe, but it brings a very serious question for me as a citizen, and should also to every citizen in Idaho. We should all demand an honest answer to this question: Are our Republican legislators, and our governor, a part of that 68 %? Are there any of our Idaho legislators representing us thinking they are without a legitimate president, under a state and federal constitution which they have sworn to follow?

They swore to uphold the same U.S. Constitution President Biden did, as well as their state constitution. How can they in good conscience perform their duties if they believe they have no president? I would hope we have some legislators who have some loyalty to the president who is part of the constitution they swore to uphold. Perhaps 32%?

Ron Boothe

Kingston, Idaho

Very few want a total ban

Curt Stone’s letter (“They don’t want solutions,” Dec. 12) says The Spokesman-Review “consistently censors viewpoints that don’t match its antigun narrative.” I think The S-R presents a fair and unbiased view when it reports a story about gun violence. Notice, too, that Mr. Stone’s pro-gun opinion letter is printed here for all to see. No censorship there!

On the other hand, it seems to me that Mr. Stone’s letter is not only extremely biased, but it also expresses an extreme viewpoint. He says, “Gun ban fanatics only want further blood to dance in.” “Further blood to dance in?” Really, Mr. Stone? I find that statement not only offensive, but more than a bit disgusting. I think we should all be able to express our opinions without using such irrational terms to describe those who might have opposing viewpoints.

When a gun owner uses such an inflammatory statement, it only serves to give other (nonfanatical) gun owners a bad name.

As for the National Rifle Association being a noble enterprise, one only needs to read about the crimes of its leaders to put that thought to rest.

I can understand Mr. Stone’s zeal to protect his right to own guns, but I can assure him that I, for one (and believe the majority of other who support reasonable gun controls), do not want a total ban on all guns. It would be nice if gun owners would stop claiming that proponents for reasonable gun controls want a ban on all guns. Or at least provide some type of evidence to prove it is true.

Norman R. Coffman

Spokane

Putting guns before kids

In response to Curt Stone’s letter entitled, “They don’t want solutions” (Dec. 12), I was again reminded of the blind devotion by those promoting a culture of those “in love” with guns more than children. Mr. Stone needs to consider the message to children entering schools with his “common sense” fixes.

What does it say to any student entering a neighborhood school when armed resource officers greet them at the door, teachers are armed with Glocks and students pass through a metal detector to enter? Throw in a couple of active-shooter drills that make them hide in a closet or under their desk and you have clearly driven home the point to your children: My school must not be a safe place.

Blaming schools has become the norm for gun advocates. However, in this situation, no violation of any school rules was committed in the Michigan shooting and the school had no legal basis for denying access to the child’s education. Parents may have even threatened legal action if he was sent home and this clearly was a parenting failure. The school was placed in a no-win situation.

After Columbine, all school staff at some point have thought about their safety while being dedicated to educating their students. It’s not really a mystery why there is a teacher shortage. The continued threat of being a shooting statistic and critics who question their professional integrity push quality people to different employment choices.

Mike McGinnis

Spokane