Laws won’t stop violence
In response to Mel Flitter’s letter, “Get rid of weapons of war,” published in the July 13 issue of the Northeast Times.
My guess is Mr. Flitter either never served in the military or hunted in his life. What we can buy in the U.S. are not “weapons of war.” They are semi-automatic hunting rifles that have been changed to have a military style in appearence. Regardless of what you think or how you feel about using semi-automatic guns for hunting, autoloaders and AR-style rifles are becoming more common in camps and virtually every major manufacturer is producing these guns in calibers heavy enough to drop deer, hogs and bears. Not to mention the fact that they’re a blast on the range. The AR15 has never been used by any country as a military weapon. They fire one shot per trigger pull just like any other semiautomatic pistol, rifle or shotgun.
Semiautomatic hunting weapons have been used for decades; personally I have a Remington 12 gauge autoloader Model 58 from 1962. Many people use semiautomatic weapons. It’s for hunting waterfowl. If he bothered with five minutes of research, he would see on FBI statistics that semiauto rifles used for killing people has been less than 10 times in the last 14 years. More people are beaten to death with hands and feet than with all rifles. Maybe we should outlaw hands and feet.
Some have bought into the illusion and delusion the Obama administration and antigun lobby wants to feed us that more gun laws will stop violence. Do you think the almost daily armed home invasions here in Philly are with legally purchased weapons? You can buy a gun on the street as easily as you can buy drugs in our city.
The main causes of gun violence are the gangs across the country selling illegal weapons and the criminal and terrorist element buying them. It is easiest to insult our intelligence with promises of pointless laws to placate the uninformed than to go after these gangs. If the police can’t do it, send in the National Guard to assist.
Hezakiah Levinson
Rhawnhurst
Thank you, councilman
Thanks to Councilman Brian O’Neill for his excellent constituent services. Whether it’s getting signs placed on Philmont Avenue (for safer turns onto Philmont Avenue from our development’s lot) to questions about zoning or any other neighborhood concern, his staff not only responds, but also calls numerous times with updates.
There are 44 families in our development and we are often overlooked due to the fact that we’re on the very edge of the city. However, O’Neill’s staff always responds and is always diligent. Thanks again.
Daniel A. Alvarez
Somerton
Follow police instructions
We all agree that there are a few bad apples, but the majority of police officers are good people who put their lives on the line to protect the public; even those who protest them.
Most shootings by police were the result of people not following instructions. If a police officer says get on the ground and don’t move, you do it. If a police officer says stop and come over here with your hands out of your pockets, you do it. You do not tell a police officer you have a gun then reach for something. You wait until he asks for your information, then proceed to present it ever so cautiously.
If you are pulled over by police and they ask you to exit your vehicle, you comply without resistance. If a police officer says you’re under arrest, you do not resist. Teach children at a young age to obey the law and show respect for those in authority. Always comply with the requests of police officers. If you believe you’ve been wrongly stopped, profiled or arrested, you can always pursue a complaint later. Thousands of people, black and white, are stopped by police officers every day without incident. Those who get hurt during a confrontation with police are usually those who fail to comply with an officer’s instructions.
Had the above lessons been adhered to, the deaths resulting from recent police encounters would have not taken place.
Peter DiGiuseppe
Rhawnhurst
Nelms endorses Darragh
After our hard-fought primary race, Matt Darragh and I met to discuss working together to defeat Martina White and the out-of-touch, anti-union, corporate welfare agenda of the Harrisburg Republicans.
I believe Matt Darragh is the best choice to represent the working families of our district to ensure their voices are heard in Harrisburg. Matt and I have always been very close on the issues and challenges Northeast Philadelphia faces as a community.
I proudly endorse Matt Darragh to be our next state representative. We remain united as fellow Democrats, and I respectfully and humbly ask my supporters to vote for Democrat Matt Darragh in the general election on Nov. 8.
Fran Nelms
2016 Primary Candidate for State Representative
