Granada Hills and Chatsworth Shootings

It saddens me that the Jewish community was a target of a deranged gunman who targeted innocent children and staff at our community center (“Gunman Shoots 5 at Day Camp,” Aug. 11). My heart goes out to the victims and families of those shot. Our community prays for a speedy recovery of all injured and affected.

This crazed gunman committed an act of terrorism on the most vulnerable people in our community, our children.

I call on all people of compassion who value and respect human life to stand together against hate, bigotry and anti-Semitism. Together our community, united with Latinos, blacks, Asians, Christians, Muslims, gays and lesbians, must stand hand in hand against hate. Together we can struggle to stop the violence.

We must take action to protect our community centers and synagogues. I hope we can turn this tragedy into a victory by working together with like-minded people in support of stronger gun control and increased funding for preventing hate crimes.

The Jewish community must not be silent any more on gun control. It is a Jewish issue and a human issue.

My hope is we will all join together to make schools and community centers safe zones. This must be a national priority. It is our obligation to protect the smallest, most vulnerable people in our community.

SCOTT J. SVONKIN

Canoga Park

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The shooting at the Jewish Community Center’s children’s day-care center again demonstrated the overt hate and racism that are still present in the United States today. The coverage by the media, including The Times, demonstrates the more subtle racism we have today.

They use euphemisms to describe white gangs and call the killers mentally disturbed instead of the vicious, hate-filled murderers that they are. I am not referring to most law-abiding Caucasians, but the hate groups disguised as religious groups or militias. These are simply white gang members and they should be labeled as such. They are not a militia or religion, despite their phony labels.

The media and police call black, Hispanic, Asian and other minorities who kill gang members but refer to white gangs with these less-alarming euphemisms. Why? In most cases it is the subtle racism that exists in those who write and report these tragic stories of people killing people. These are not bad people who do this reporting; they just cannot separate themselves from their brethren who murder for whatever reason.

I hope that type of reporting changes in the near future. How can we expect change in people on the margins of society if the mainstream press still will not report them as gangs, just like the minorities. Their skin color may be different but they are murderers and gang members despite what they call themselves.

STEVEN D. ARIAS

Glendale

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Thank you, Los Angeles Times, for your editorial, “Prayer--and Gun Control,” Aug. 11.

Once again children have been assaulted and a community terrorized by a person wielding an automatic weapon. How can the National Rifle Assn. and its lobby contend that such weapons are defensive or instruments for sport hunting? They are instruments of death, period!

I believe the framers of our Constitution would turn over in their collective graves to know the 2nd Amendment is being used to rationalize the indiscriminate sale and availability of weapons, especially at gun shows. The right to bear arms provides for a “well-regulated militia . . . necessary to the security of a free state.” How many more must be victimized before our legislators get the backbone to refuse the gun lobby and its campaign money? Some issues are more important than campaign coffers, and this is one.

SUE STRICKLAND

West Hills

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Why do we all feel sorry and complain about innocent adults and kids being shot--yet we do nothing?

There is absolutely no reason why anyone needs to own a gun unless they are in law enforcement, in the military, a legitimate gun collector or a legitimate hunter. I think there should be something like a six-month moratorium to give people time to rid themselves of their guns. After six months, anyone found with a gun for any reason would receive a $1,000 fine or have to spend 30 days in jail. The next offense would be a one-year mandatory jail sentence, and so on. Also, a person committing a crime with a gun would receive a mandatory jail sentence.

Let the voters decide. If the American people want to abolish guns, with the above exceptions, then I think it should be enforced aggressively.

I have two small children who will be starting school soon. Why should I have to worry that one day they might get shot?

DENNIS WALMAN

Palmdale

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Let me get this straight: Because a convicted felon, on parole for assault with a deadly weapon--a knife--with a history of mental illness, who is on record for making violent threats against humanity and who also happens to be a member of a hate group, shoots up a day camp, I am supposed to surrender my right to own firearms?

When is California going to allow responsible, law-abiding, mentally stable, educated, trained and certified individuals to carry concealed weapons as a form of personal protection? It is painfully obvious that the police cannot always protect us from madmen and miscreants bent on wreaking havoc.

What is with this continual, knee-jerk, urban-bred reaction to demonize firearms? It is people who go bad, not metal. Firearms are tools. Hunters use them; target, trap and skeet shooters use them, the police and military use them, and some civilians use them to protect their lives in deadly encounters with criminals. Just because a madman or a criminal gains access to firearms and uses them in criminal endeavors, should we all be arbitrarily disarmed?

GERALD ELEKES

North Hollywood

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Like tobacco companies are now responsible for public health (lung and throat cancer due to smoking), the gun manufacturers should be responsible as well and pay for the damages being done!

Those who represent us in Congress: What have you done since the last shootings? Prove to us that you are all worthy of our taxpayer money!

LIBBY LO

North Hollywood

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I’m just waiting for Charlton Heston and the gun lobby to make their pronouncements of how many laws [the gunman] broke. Instead of using that as the excuse for no new gun laws, let’s use it as a reason to enact better gun laws. For example, making it tougher for them to get guns; making it a felony to sell, give or deliver a firearm to anyone not legally qualified to own a weapon. If the NRA were smart, it would cooperate in enacting reasonable laws to control the mayhem in our country. The tide is turning against them until we reach the point where even law-abiding citizens will be unable to purchase weapons.

BERNIE KAUFMAN

West Hills

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I am impressed with the courage and devotion of the police and Fire Department staff members in regard to the North Valley Jewish Community Center shootings. The police arrived on the scene minutes after the suspect walked into the building. They and the paramedics ignored their own safety and entered quickly to save the lives of those innocents inside. And the detectives were quick to put the pieces together after the carjacking a few minutes later. But that leaves me with a couple of rather serious questions. Did anyone think to call the local cab companies to see if they had picked up a fare in the area about the time the getaway car was abandoned? Every hour the SWAT team spent searching that hotel, the suspect got 65 miles farther away. They could not know for certain he had escaped. But was anyone checking to see if he had?

KIMIT A. MUSTON

North Hollywood

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Although I am not a member of the North Valley Jewish Community Center, as a resident of Granada Hills I wish to thank the people involved with the events of Aug. 10 for their quick thinking and selfless actions in protecting the young children. I am pleased and proud to have these people living and working in my community.

DONNA FELTEN

Granada Hills