Letters to the Editor: Texas shooting reminds that guns are as much of an issue as mental illness

How many more Sutherland Springs, Texas-type shootings are we going to have to endure before we realize that this is not a “mental health issue,” but a gun issue? I do not buy the argument that “people kill people, not guns.”

When you have an assault-type weapon that can kill dozens with one squeeze of the trigger, it’s a gun problem. There’s no need for those guns in our society.

The argument, “If we outlaw assault weapons then only the bad guys will get them,” is hogwash. Ban them now, and eventually they will be less of a presence in a civilized world.

Our legislators need to get some backbone and propose common-sense gun regulations now. If you agree with me, please write your senators and congressmen and demand that they act.

Jules Marine

Newport Beach

Huntington Beach Central Library adds Sunday hours

As a result of city budget cuts subsequent to the Great Recession, the Huntington Beach Central Library has been without Sunday hours for nearly a decade. Now, with an improved economy, those hours have been restored.

Central Library will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. every (non-holiday) Sunday. Patrons can now enjoy this municipal marvel seven days a week.

Ben Miles,

Chairperson, Huntington Beach Library Board of Trustees

Huntington Beach

Fight for proper cost-of-living adjustments

As a federal retiree who has served our country for years, I am deeply concerned with a provision in the president’s budget that would eliminate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for current and future federal retirees.

I ask that my representative and senators oppose any proposals that would reduce COLAs for federal retirees.The annual adjustment provides protections against inflation, but even the current calculation is inadequate because it understates the impact of health care spending, yielding lower annual COLAs.

Reducing or eliminating my COLA further threatens my health and financial security. This proposal would diminish the value of my hard-earned annuity by allowing inflation to erode the benefit over the course of my retirement. With the cost of goods and medical care on the rise, I will not sit back and allow this attack to gain a foothold.

James R. Carlson

Seal Beach

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