To the Editor:
I feel compelled to reply to your editorial regarding the visit of former presidential press secretary James Brady and the gun-control propaganda contained therein [April 24th issue]. Certainly Mr. Brady has experienced violent crime to an extent that most of us will never know. Since that time, however, he has misplaced his efforts, choosing to push gun-control legislation rather than becoming a champion for victims' rights or criminal justice reform.
Despite your assertion that the Brady Bill would have restricted firearms "like the one which left Brady maimed," this law would have done nothing to protect those injured by John Hinckley in March of 1981. Hinckley bought his weapon five months before the assault and any medical records which might have disqualified the purchase are not a matter of public record. We can look locally to see that gun-control laws such as this have no effect on crime. Tennessee had a 15-day waiting period for handgun purchases long before the Brady Law was enacted. Has this decreased our crime rate? Watch the evening news if you need further evidence that it has not.
The Second Amendment recognizes an individual's right to keep and bear arms. The framers of the Constitution included this provision primarily to insure that American citizens would be able to defend themselves, not to protect hunting or "outdoor sports activity" as your editorial implies. Gun-control laws restrict the right of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves while doing nothing to insure our safety from the criminal predators in our society. If our goal is truly to "limit the liberty of the outlaws among us to deprive us altogether of our own" as your article states, we should work to reform the "revolving-door" justice system and concentrate on the rights of victims rather than those of convicted felons.
Kyle Swift
via the Internet
To the Editor:
It simply amazes me that some people actually believe that criminals would apply for a concealed-weapons permit or succumb to any additional gun-control laws. The definition of a criminal is one who has committed a crime. Society assumes that since they have committed crime(s) in the past, they will do so in the future.
Memphis ranks first and second in assaults and rape, respectively, in the nation. This is day 103 after I applied for a carry permit. I have taken three training classes, spent tens of hours practicing safety and ability with my firearm. Do you believe that some criminal has waited 103 days before carrying a handgun!? Please, think this out they are criminals, thus they will not, presumably, obey the law! So why should I, an honest, law-abiding citizen, be punished by these bureaucratic restrictions?
Howard M. Benz
via the Internet
To the Editor:
Your article regarding the plight of light rail [April 24th issue] was both informative and perturbing. The fact that the community's leaders (city, county, and federal) are not willing to invest any discernible amount of time and effort into finding a creative solution for the funding of the proposed light-rail system is inexplicable.
Given the size of our city (in terms of area) it is no surprise that MATA has problems. Efficient public transportation in a city the size of Memphis is dependent on intermodal transportation (i.e., buses and light rail). Simply ask Atlanta or St. Louis (both of which have smaller land areas than Memphis and fewer citizens within their city-limits) how they solved their public transportation problems MARTA and Metrolink, respectively. In fact, the St. Louis Metrolink is having to add more trains and track because its popularity with suburban commuters has outpaced their projections by an almost 2.5:1 margin.
As long as our city continues to elect provincial-minded leaders who lack vision and resolve, we will continue to play second-string to cities like Nashville. In addition, we will continue to lose many of our best and brightest minds to cities like Atlanta, St.Louis, and Charlotte. Memphis needs a quality regional transit system to be a first-rate city.
Daalon B. Echols
Washington University School of Medicine
via the Internet
FROM THE CREDIT-WHERE-CREDIT-IS-DUE department: Staff writer Mark Jordan was responsible for putting together our special Memphis Music issue last week. Of course, with a staff as small as ours, most efforts involve a great deal of teamwork, but Mark headed up the music coverage in that issue from concept to finished product.
Speaking of music, a member of Shelby County Mayor Jim Rout's office called to point out that the good mayor had in fact attended each of the last three Premier Player Award shows. A story last week stated otherwise. We are happy to clear that up, and even happier to know that the Flyer is being read so thoroughly in the offices of the Shelby County building. -- Dennis Freeland