Common sense legislation
Gun retailers and manufacturers have enjoyed record sales in the past five years, maybe because of carefully crafted comments such as the one made by Rep. Virginia Foxx in her Feb. 5 guest column “Second Amendment rights ‘… shall not be infringed’”: “…the ideas behind the president's legislative proposals which could easily make it harder for law-abiding Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights” — thus constituting “sufficient cause for declaring a ‘constitutional emergency.’”
When the “militia” is turning its guns on innocent fellow citizens at the rate of 15,000 to 20,000 accidental shootings and more than 11,000 homicides per year, you can hardly call that “well-regulated.”
No one wants to take American's guns away from them. Not President Obama, not the Brady Campaign, not our law enforcement professionals and certainly not me.
Maybe the laws we have now aren't well-enforced because they are too complex, outdated and numerous. Why not void them all and craft new, common sense legislation that allows sane, responsible citizens to possess firearms if they choose to do so? I believe many NRA members — and plenty of other people — would also be in favor of this.
I guess it won't be the congresswoman representing my district, but I hope someone will take on the task of drafting nonpartisan, straightforward new legislation, leaving out the pork, concessions and totally unrelated junk that impede the progress of getting anything done in this Congress — before we have to have a prayer vigil for 26 more.
MELODY THOMSON
Winston-Salem
Charter schools
One of the many reasons teachers move to charter schools is the lack of the word “system” and the bureaucracy that is so deep in most public systems. There is freedom from red tape and a sense of purpose in the shared goals of the administrators and boards. Decisions can be made on site and quickly. Teachers apply and are hired for the shared vision.
I worked in a charter school for three years, and I experienced relief from the many layers above the classroom. There was a shared "ownership" of the mission between administrators, teachers and parents. Few charters, if any, grant tenure to teachers. There is no need for it. Many have lotteries for limited student places.
Having worked in large school systems, I know firsthand how many employees and silos with no windows exist between the teacher and the superintendent/board. The cumbersome structure is a lot of what isn't working in the public school. The heavy top-down pyramid structure that was handed down from the industrial age doesn't work for the 21st century.
Leaders only have to look as far as the newly adopted Common Core curriculum to realize that the collaborative, research-driven, circular framework is the desired model for all who will need 21st century skills. This model is being used in most classrooms.
Listen, look and learn before you start proposing changes in the present charter structure. They don't need a superintendent or a politician in charge.
PATRICIA WILLIAMS
Lewisville
A well-regulated militia
I recently received a cold call from the National Rifle Association requesting a donation. No way, as long as they are opposed to an assault weapons ban. Here’s why.
Readers may remember the outbreaks of rioting in our cities in the 1960s. The rioting had become so widespread that the Army became concerned that there might not be enough National Guard troops to quell those disturbances. They ordered the Army Reserve to undergo riot training immediately.
As an officer, I drew the responsibility for developing that training for my unit. (It was too hurry-up for the Army to develop standardized lesson plans.)
Luckily, I was able to call on the Charlotte Police Department and Charlotte Fire Department for help in conducting that training. The rioters elsewhere actually had been shooting at fire trucks, which allowed whole blocks to burn in some cities. Mostly, the rioters were using pistols and shotguns.
There is no way that I would want my soldiers to face assault weapons fired by rioters. I certainly hope my soldiers wouldn’t need to use their rapid-fire weapons against American citizens. Single well-directed shots at ringleaders might be needed but not mowing down dozens of Americans.
Remember that the Second Amendment (“a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”) was written before there was an Army National Guard and Army Reserve. Those two organizations constitute today’s well-regulated militia.
ROBERT CONN
