Letters to the editor for Sunday, July 31, 2016

Passing more gun control laws is futile

I write this to expand on the article by Michael R. Griffin stating the need for more facts in the debate on Question 1.

First, a correction: Gun sales online must be sent from an FFL dealer to an FFL dealer and a background check then will be done. Whatever percentage of sales that is, they all have a background check. As for gun shows, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, less than two percent of the firearms acquired by felons are purchased there.

Mr. Griffin asserts that 2.4 million felons have been blocked from buying firearms. He should have added the word “legally” to that. Criminals, nut cases and radical anybody do not care about cute little gun laws. They will get arms outside the law. I think that is why they are called criminals.

Another aspect to consider is the cost. Dealers are in business to sell firearms; not to help you and a friend to make a deal. He has to charge for his time, etc., and in or neighbor to the west some dealers charge as much as $135 for a private party transfer. Quite a burden to put on your honest, law abiding friends — and to no avail. No gun control law has ever reduced the rate of homicide or suicide. With all their myriad of laws California’s murder rate is up 8.2 percent.

The term “common sense” is used every time a new gun law is proposed. The fact is, they don’t work; but it sounds good. These are just the facts.

Tom Martin

Carson City

Suggestions for auto maintenance

In response to the Christensen Automotive rebuild ad in the Nevada Appeal, the first thing you should do is step back and take a look at your vehicle. Is the paint decent? Is the sheet metal (body) in good shape? Is the interior halfway decent?

If so, you can go ahead and rebuild. Be sure not to go more than 30 on cylinders, or you may overheat. And have engine blue plated and balanced.

John Nobriga

Carson City

Rising water rates sabotaging seniors

How can you justify an increase in water rates? I live in a retirement community of 129 homes, where the majority are living on fixed incomes, and, living in an association, we have no lawns to water, so our water usage is baths, laundry and cooking.

There’s no way that we can use the amount we’re allotted each month, but we still have to pay an outrageous amount. I think it’s time that the city as well as state start having a little compassion for its senior citizens, as everything goes up except for what little income we get. We pay higher Medical premiums, car insurance premiums, all while getting a pittance of a raise from Social Security.

I guess it’s time I commit a crime and be put away in prison where I’ll be taken good care of until my demise (at no cost to me).

Phillip Gregory

Carson City

If elected, Donald Trump will bring chaos

I watched most of the Republican National Convention. It was very chaotic and depressing with a lot of over-the-top negative attacks directed at Hillary Clinton.

The convention itself was very disorganized and presented a disjointed and dysfunctional message. How can Donald Trump claim to be able to bring in great people to run the country, yet he hasn’t been able to bring together his own party or run a well-organized convention?

Donald seems to thrive in a state of chaos. I can only assume the change that he would bring to America would be a state of chaos.

Respectfully,

John Hartley

Dayton

Fate of downtown trees is disappointing

I attended the project meeting that was held prior to the beginning of the massive downtown redo project and at that meeting the project manager stated the trees in the medians, only the purple robe locusts, would be destroyed but the rest would be dug and planted at Centennial Park. The remaining trees which are flowering pear trees would remain. I saw the removal of the trees in the medians which went as stated. But the trees that were planted along the sidewalks that were mature, I watched them being torn apart and destroyed, which was not what was stated at that meeting.

The project manager lied about the fate of these trees. These are mature trees that should have remained in the new downtown. They would have provided shade for the area and were already paid for. Now the project will purchase new much smaller starter trees that will take 10-plus years to get to a nice size and provide shade for the new downtown.

Why is this waste of money being done when there were perfectly usable trees that were promised to be used and weren’t? What other lies have been told? I guess we will only find that out after the project is complete and the final bills are submitted.

Gene Munnings

Carson City