Advertisement

Letters to the Editor: Make gun and ammo manufacturers pay for the horror they inflict on us

A man looks at photographs of people and candles are glowing below them and elsewhere.
A mourner prays for the 11 victims of the mass shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park on Jan. 26.
(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)
Share

To the editor: Anyone who has witnessed or experienced a mass shooting probably will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. If these victims do not have access to trauma therapy, they will suffer their entire lives from fears and disruptions that are unimaginable to people who have not been victims. (“‘We begged them’: Some Monterey Park shooting survivors feel left out of donations,” Nov. 13)

If society wants to take responsibility for the harm done to the victims of mass shootings, our representatives can do more than offer prayers and solace. They can create a fund, supported by gun and ammunition makers, to ensure that our neighbors and friends are treated for the horror that these weapons have wrought.

We should levy an additional tax on firearms and ammunition to help treat victims, including people who must live with the horror of gun violence.

Advertisement

Maybe then gun manufacturers and their supporters would think twice about marketing their wares to unstable, angry customers.

Dorothy Goulah, Sherman Oaks

..

To the editor: For the Monterey Park mass shooting victims who were not physically injured, they can potentially receive financial aid and assistance from the California Victim Compensation Board.

It can provide help with such things as income loss, medical and dental treatment and mental health services.

Sandra Carter, Long Beach

Advertisement