Readers React: Mass shootings are a symptom of failing, mediocre society

To the editor: So many stories in the Los Angeles Times boil down to the same thing: Our society has become mediocre. (“A year after the Parkland massacre, two fathers are divided on guns but united by pain,” Feb. 13)

When I was young, I noticed how some children “got away” with stuff and were never held accountable. As an adult, especially in the workplace, I would alternately marvel at and be frustrated with those employees, including management, who coasted by, doing the least work possible, sometimes even taking credit for others’ work or just passing the buck.

It seemed so inefficient, dishonest and pervasive. And, it was terribly costly — not only dollars and time wasted but sometimes someone’s life.

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018, the children who fall through the cracks in our child protective agencies, the potholes that weren’t repaired, and much more, are examples of what happens when people fail to do their jobs. And because of that, many people get hurt.

Genie Saffren, Los Angeles

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To the editor: While I feel sorry for Andrew Pollack for losing his daughter, his position on guns is completely misinformed.

Regardless of all the factors he cites — school security issues, whether or not the suspect was on law enforcement’s radar, the actions of onsite security — none of that mitigates the fact that if the shooter had been prevented from buying a gun, this would not have happened.

The ready availability of guns is the issue. They’re too easy to buy.

If proper gun control were enacted, this could have been prevented — and proper gun control does not mean confiscation of all guns. Background checks, longer waiting periods and a ban on assault weapons are all reasonable steps.

We don’t want your guns; we want to keep them out of the hands of dangerous people, and to stop selling AR-15s.

Scott Hughes, Westlake Village

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