No more guns
I saw an article on a federal appeals case in California about allowing “open carry” here in Hawaii. I’m very afraid it will go to the right-wing-packed Supreme Court (now even more than before!), and Hawaii will become insane just like other states on the mainland, not only allowing more guns but even “open carry” and “stand your ground.”
Please, do all you can to notify your legislators that most of our citizens here do not want more deregulation on guns or “open carry” in Hawaii.
I’ve enjoyed a gentle, sane life, living around the world without the “in your face” threat of crazies carrying guns for almost 50 years. The only thing that loosening gun laws does is encourage more crazies to have more guns and the attitudes that go along with them.
Only one third of Americans do actually own guns. Most Americans do not want guns in their or their children’s lives. They don’t want to stockpile weapons or go to gun ranges. They don’t want to join a militia. The only reason a nonaggressive person would want a gun is to arm themselves against those who would benefit from the loosened gun laws and intend do us harm. So why start up this vicious cycle?
Guns beget more guns and more guns beget even more guns, and eventually you have a situation like in Michigan where armed civilians feel justified to kidnap and hold a mock trial for a governor they don’t agree with on public health matters. And now they want to “poll watch” (intimidate) a national election.
Do we really need this in Hawaii? We are already so blessed that this mentality has not yet permeated our culture of aloha. Please, let’s not allow our wonderful state to become just another violent, crime-ridden, fearful state like many on the mainland.
If some don’t like the gun laws here, there are plenty of other states that will happily accommodate those individuals. Why force all of us here to forget our culture of aloha, live by their rules, degrade our lifestyles, up the fear quotient, have to arm the police even more and make their jobs even more difficult, and make us and our children less safe just for a few individuals’ opinions about their rights?
What about our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, (without guns in our faces) if we end up forced to arm ourselves against those who want to carry guns in our state? What has the NRA done for the mainland other than generate aggression, then hate and make it less safe for normal folk, not to mention the fleecing of innocent supporters? Have Americans lost their minds?
Joan Hildal
Hakalau
Reform needed
Regardless who wins in this election, we as citizens ought to demand election reform. If we were required to stand in lines for hours to do other things essential to our lives, we would demand changes. Why tolerate it for voting?
Smartphones can recognize faces, fingerprints, GPS locations and computer hardware or SIM card IDs. It seems there ought to be a way for citizens to register and vote electronically from home, using the physical location as part of confirmation. More variables, more security.
So, imagine the average citizen standing for hours in November weather — then imagine an improvement.
Carl Oguss
Hilo