Letters: Another gun rampage in America

Re “Gunman opens fire at Ft. Hood,” April 3

The saddest thing about the latest Ft. Hood shooting spree was how quickly the government assured us that this was not an act of terrorism.

Thank God that it was not terrorism but rather just another normal, American, run-of-the-mill mass murder made possible by gun nuts and their puppet masters in the National Rifle Assn. This is, after all, what makes America great, yes? If unfettered access to firearms leads to the deaths of a few innocents, well then, that’s a small price to pay to protect our freedom, right?

Yes, I definitely feel much better knowing it was not terrorism.

Ronald O. Richards

Los Angeles

The gunman in the most recent Ft. Hood shooting was an Iraq war veteran with apparent mental health issues.

How many shootings need to take place before the military hierarchy connects multiple deployments to post-traumatic stress disorder and takes action?

Many of our soldiers have made multiple deployments over the last several years. Some have only been home 12 months before deploying again. For example, one of my sons-in-law was deployed to Iraq three times, and another is preparing for his deployment to Afghanistan after having been home for only a year.

People’s emotional stability will hold only so much before it breaks. As a nurse, my heart goes out to the soldiers and their families who struggle with reentering daily life. It seems that the system for helping these people is impaired or very broken.

Cheryl Yeske

Murrieta

The first time was a major tragedy. Now it’s extreme negligence and culpability.

Where is the outrage at Army officers and calls for mass resignations for continuing to enforce and intensify a no-firearms policy while on base, especially after the 2009 incident?

When will they learn?

Silas Mariano

Oceanside

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