EDITOR:

Michael Glass (‘another school shooting’) accused liberals of reacting to mass shootings with propaganda (accurate or shaded messaging, selectively using persuasive facts and loaded language to influence desired thinking). However, much of his letter is NRA propaganda. A chilling U.S. statistic: we’ve had >160 mass shootings, in which an assailant wounded or killed 4 or more people, in the first 105 days of 2023! Can you imagine the stunned and grieving people who previously thought, ‘Not in my town’.

Unlike hunting/sporting guns, semiautomatics are civilian versions with the same deadly features of military assault weapons. They can take high-capacity ammunition magazines, have a rear pistol grip to steady it for sure shots, spray-firing and shooting from the hip, and a forward barrel shroud that shields the shooter from heat generated by rapid, repeated firing. Civilian versions can quickly wound and kill many people, compounded by ammunition that shreds and pulverizes tissues – hardly something a hunter would want. Some children murdered at Uvalde were decapitated by multiple bullets, requiring DNA identification. One was identifiable only by her green sneakers.

In the 1980s, gun lobbies, the NRA and gun manufacturers described civilian versions as assault rifles to boost sales, especially to young men (Violence Policy Center). According to Glass, the KelTec Sub 2000 is incapable of automatic fire (true), and thus not an assault weapon (false). The Sub 2000 is mostly polymer carbine that shoots well enough for its cheap ($400) price. A folding hinge means a storage length of 16 inches and easy concealment in a backpack – a “major” advantage.

Over the last 50 years, 77.2% of mass shooters used handguns and 25.1% assault rifles – but this may be shifting. About 98% of mass shooters are men (mostly white). Subsequent young, male shooters identify with their ‘model’ and copy them. Men tend look for others to blame for their problems, possibly leading to anger and violence (Violence Project). Glass not so subtlety pushed another hot button, inferring politically correct officials omitted a possible transgender connection in a recent mass shooting. However, transgender persons are responsible for.

Rita Wickham

Rapid River