Sheriff on guns

On Johnson County Sheriff Frank Denning’s comments on gun control, first, I would question the sheriff’s right to comment on this subject in the manner that he chose. I thought the responsibility and role of the sheriff was to enforce the laws, not to interpret the Constitution or insinuate he can pick and choose to enforce laws as he sees fit. I am not at all of the opinion that Sheriff Denning is capable of determining what might cause our Founding Fathers to “spin in their graves.”

Secondly, but perhaps more importantly, is that such comments made at a time when the slaughter of a classroom full of 6-year-olds is so fresh on our minds is very insensitive and lacking in judgment on Sheriff Denning’s part. Thirdly, was it necessary to promote the idea that all types of firearms and high-capacity magazines, held by the right kind of people, are OK?

Perhaps that was an opinion the sheriff should have kept to himself. Maybe there will one day be an automobile manufacturer that sees fit to install such weaponry in vehicles. Maybe Sheriff Denning will think that is all right, too, as long as such vehicles are in the hands of the right kind of people, of course.

This letter is to note my dismay and feeling that his comments are inappropriate. I do not think they are reflective of his role and responsibilities as sheriff.

I think Sheriff Denning could have taken a high road, but instead he took a wrong turn.

Conni Nevius

Spring Hill

Sheriff overreaches

I think that Johnson County Sheriff Frank Denning should not be using his office for politicking and lobbying for the gun manufactures. He needs to help work on cleaning up some messes in his own back yard.

He could start by doing something about the inconsiderate and irresponsible gun owners who use their one- and two-acre lots in a residential neighborhood for a target range. You cannot be a responsible gun owner and blast up a residential neighborhood.

I think the good sheriff and the county commissioners need to address this problem and I think they will. I hope they do it sooner than later.

Dan Holman

Gardner

Second Amendment

A friend of mine opined that he didn’t need an automatic weapon with a hundred-bullet clip to defend his family. Probably not.

But if an intruder decided to break in and harm my family, I definitely want to be better armed than the bad guy, and no law would prevent the intruder from acquiring a weapon of that kind, legally or illegally.

The Second Amendment was adopted to protect the citizens from a tyrannical government, not to protect hunters. I rest my case.

Joseph Neuner

Olathe

Raising better people

I’d like to address the issue of gun control. With thousands of Americans upset about the recent shootings (Specifically the Newtown, Conn., shootings), people have been blaming the availability of guns.

While it is true that the killer used a gun, he didn’t do it just because he had a gun. Had guns been banned at the time of the shooting, I personally think he would have found another way to commit the crime.

So how can we stop these murders in the future? I think the only way to stop these sort of things is for parents, teachers and older students to be positive role models for the younger generation and to teach them to truly value life.

Instead of putting a Band-Aid on the situation, let’s fix the problem and raise the next generation properly.

Peter Bosma

Overland Park

Shootings in Stilwell

I have been a resident of Stilwell for the last 14 years. I would consider myself an outdoorsman and I have a great appreciation for guns and our Second Amendment rights.

However, in the past months it distresses me that people’s ethics toward guns and lack of responsibility has provoked me to write this letter. Oftentimes the sound of gunfire can be heard from my neighbors.

This gunfire is not from small-caliber rounds and is by no means in small quantities. Because of the proximity of houses around my area it worries me that shots may travel in unintended directions.

This could result in the damage of property or injury to a person. I do think that hunting and the occasional target practice in my area would be acceptable.

I believe that whoever is shooting excessively should go to a gun range or more remote area, where excessive shooting is appropriate. My relatives in Sedgwick County have encountered the same problem.

Some type of ban on excessive shooting should be enforced in certain areas to protect peaceful citizens.

John Mitchell

Stilwell

People and politics

The Democrats want to design the country through the rule of law and government programs. The Republicans base their design through a return to a mythical American character based on a male-breadwinning, nuclear, Christian family.

Neither one grants American citizens of all creeds, genders or races the freedom to design their own lives. Congress, corporations, the president all have usurped the will of the peoples through unnecessary wars, “pork barrel” spending and a disregard for the economic necessity of jobs in a capitalistic system.

John Nelles

Shawnee

Fix dangerous road

On 143rd Street just west of Quivira Road, there is a stretch of pavement that is very narrow and uneven that is protected by a guardrail. There have been multiple accidents on this road, including one that caused the death of a high school senior.

It is a road that is in dire need of construction even if it hadn’t caused so many accidents strictly because it is so uneven. I would like to see more money and effort get put into fixing it.

Ben Snider

Overland Park