Gary Foster (“Letter to the editor: Gun ownership not cause of society’s ills,” Feb. 22) ascribes the increase in mass shootings (which, according to the Gun Violence Archive, occur on nine out of every 10 days on average in the United States) on societal ills. Among these, he writes, is “the decline of Christian principles.” (Apparently Mr. Foster believes that Christianity alone, out of an estimated 4,200 world religions, has the ability to keep violence in check.)
The ownership of firearms, he writes, is affirmatively not one of the many factors that have contributed to this epidemic; he urges that we “dispense with opportunistic propaganda and face the real problems.”
May I suggest that the fact that Americans own an estimated 265 million guns – more than one for every adult – is about as real a problem as they come?
Ellen D. Murphy
Portland
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.