Gun owners: some of the nicest people youll ever meet
I would submit that the huge overwhelming majority of people that purchase firearms are not doing so to "solve problems that frustrate confuse or confound them" (Letters, Jan. 7).
I have been exposed to firearms since the age of reason at 6 or 7 years of age. To change a tire I will use a lug wrench and a jack. These are tools. To build a structure I will use a saw, a hammer, a square, a plumb bob. These are tools. To harvest a moose or caribou I will use a high-powered rifle. This is a tool. This task could also be accomplished with a spear, a bow and arrow or possibly some type of blunt instrument with repeated blows to the head. I prefer a belted magnum cartridge that is deadly accurate and delivers enough energy to ensure a swift and humane kill. I prefer that any animal does not suffer, but I also prefer chemical-free organic meat on my dinner plate.
Over the course of the last 50 years that I have owned automobiles, I have had more than a few that for some reason did not want to start. I have never entertained shooting one of them. I have had more than a few toilets back up in my 66-plus years. Never entertained shooting one. Many of my friends and relatives spend a bit of time in places like Mexico or Hawaii when I do not. Personally I rather enjoy ice fishing and have never entertained shooting anything because the neighbors were in Mexico or Hawaii.
Regarding a polite society, my guess is that letter writer Gwenn Jester Haslett has never attended a gun show. These are some of the most courteous, polite, patriotic, pillar-of-the-community people that you could ever hope to meet. And heaven forbid you are ever in a San Bernardino-type situation, you can only hope that some of these gun show-attending pillars of the Constitutional republic are there to neutralize the terrorist and protect you and yours.
— Michael Koskovich
Wasilla
Something not right with LIO
I simply do not understand this: How can some of our Republican legislators stick with the new building lease idea when it's so obviously untenable? There must be something in it for those few who are driving this train in to the ditch.
If I had lost a large amount of my income and needed to find an alternate place to live, it stands to reason that I would find the most affordable place that provided the basic requirements for habitable living. There's something not right here, not right at all.
— Penny Johnson
Anchorage
My requests for the state Legislature this session
An open letter to legislators — my requests for the 2016 session:
Give serious consideration to Gov. Bill Walker's proposals and pass revenue source bills in addition to small cuts in the budget.
Create a significant addition to the BSA formula for public education, and kill the idea of dropping funding for schools with 11 to 25 students.
Pass climate change bills to help residents affected by erosion and other factors, and guide the state toward a future using renewable energy sources.
Pass bills enacting the recommendations of the Walker-Mallott Fisheries Transition Committee, including a "fish first" policy to ensure there is always enough water in streams to support salmon.
Increase the budget in the Department of Health and Social Services to give Alaskans more access to mental health services. This will lead to hundreds of thousands of state dollars saved and a better life for thousands of Alaskans by reducing homelessness, substance abuse and recidivism.
There's more I could add, but this is probably enough for 90 days. May the Legislature do its job and work for the good of its people. Have a good session!
— Cheryl Lovegreen
Anchorage
The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.