Littleton Shootings

At a time when our hearts break for the parents, students and staff, neighbors and community around Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., we naturally ask what can we do? There is much that we can do. We can pray. We can change the culture we support. We can stop attending violent movies, watching violent TV shows, buying violent video games, guns and war toys for our children and glorifying violence in sports.

We can support organizations working to reduce domestic violence. We can insist that more of our civil budgets, whether on a local or international scale, go into conflict resolution, negotiating skills and peacekeeping. Of course, there is much more that can be done, but let us start doing today. No one, and especially children, should have to experience what the students of Columbine High did Tuesday. We need to change.

HERB HUEBSCH

San Juan Capistrano

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As Americans we come from Puritan stock with a healthy dose of the Wild West. We hate sex and we love guns. In the era of AIDS, sex kills while guns are our salvation. In films, open portrayals of sexuality get NC-17 ratings while celebrations of violence have to work to get an R.

When did it all get so backward?

DAVID DODSON

La Canada

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The killings by guns have reached epidemic proportions and have become a major public health problem. Would that some compassionate, brave and clear-minded attorney initiates a class-action suit against the National Rifle Assn. on behalf of all the parents who have lost children in drive-by shootings, gang-related shootings, shootings in schools and in fast-food eating places.

J.R. BLOOMFIELD MD

Rolling Hills Estates

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Unitarian Universalists have a principle that goes: “We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” We try to teach our children that nobody--be they Serbs or Kosovars or just nerdish, unathletic kids--should be considered scum or looked down upon, but rather treated at the very least with respect and understanding.

The tragedy at Littleton seems to have come out of a long-term process of segregation and put-down of the boys who eventually did these horrible things. Certainly no excuse for murder or mayhem, but it again demonstrates how dangerous seemingly innocent hazing and put-downs can be.

ROBERT W. LOVELL

Huntington Beach

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Is anyone really surprised about another deadly school shooting in the U.S.? I am not! We have a president who thinks that only with violence can we solve our problems. Examples, bombings of Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia and now Serbia.

A young schoolgirl from Littleton said Wednesday on camera, “How do you stop the war? You can’t!” But President Clinton thinks that he can--by killing more people. Is it possible that a 16-year-old is smarter than our president?

BOBA SHAW

Fullerton

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The tragedy in Colorado could have been minimized or avoided if a designated teacher were selected to keep a gun with him at all times. It is ridiculous to allow the students at all schools to be at risk without any protection and thus vulnerable to any crazy or sick person who takes it into his head to commit murder.

JOSEPH HYMAN

Ojai

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Every few years we are reminded of why access to semiautomatic weapons needs to be limited. Once again we have a tragedy composed of emotionally unstable youths, easy access to weapons with great killing capability and a social environment that treats guns as toys. Thanks again to Charlton Heston and his NRA.

SELBY JESSUP

Hollywood

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OK, NRA, what do you have to say now!

DESIREE HOBSON-GARCIA

Signal Hill

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Let’s save some time and point out to the NRA that, yes, people kill people, but they kill a lot fewer when they’re throwing the bullets at them.

TOM TRAUB

Pasadena