Letter of the Day: Missing the mark

Missing the mark

EDITOR: I didn't expect National Rifle Association Vice President Wayne LaPierre to miss the mark by such a wide margin. What he and his association missed was an opportunity to participate in a comprehensive national discussion on the many means to reduce our country's fixation on assault weapons and violence and achieve a solution. Instead, he called for armed guards in every school and blamed assault weapon violence on violent video games.

LaPierre was correct in criticizing violent video games, but this is only one factor of the problem. He compounded the Sandy Hook tragedy by emphasizing that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." What he called "blanket safety" was a sad conclusion. Columbine High School's tragedy with its armed guards belied that solution. Instead of concentrating on arming our schools, Scout halls, churches and any other gathering place, we need to successfully address the many factors needed to solve this grave problem.

This was also a chance for the NRA to intelligently represent its increasingly skeptical hunting members instead of turning its back to the extensive and frequently illegal assault weapon trade. I can't imagine firing 30 rounds at a deer.

DON HOLDEN

Santa Rosa