9-Year-Old Slain Robbery Attempt

* My heart goes out to the family of the little girl slain during a botched holdup attempt at the McDonald’s in Barstow (June 17, 18) and to all families who have lost their children to senseless violence. Whenever I read an article about another child whose life has been prematurely ended by an errant bullet, I ask myself, “When will it all end? When will the masses clamor for the disarming of America?”

Special interest groups fight hard to keep weapons on the street because it is big business. “Guns don’t kill, people do,” is probably the best known saying by those who stand to lose the most if gun laws are tightened. I beg to differ. Guns do kill in the hands of people and it is obvious that there are thousands of people with access to weaponry who are hellbent on destruction. Children in this country no longer have safe havens in which to grow.

As a nation, we must begin to make hard choices and demand that laws are instituted to protect our children and ourselves from those who feel that using a gun is their right.

DORIS K. REED

Los Angeles

* I read with great sadness of the tragic death of 9-year-old Amanda Robertson and I couldn’t help thinking about some of the issues that lie buried in this event. The first is the certainty that Amanda’s death will give rise to a renewed cry for “meaningful gun control” legislation. My second thought was an unavoidable question. In view of the fact that her killer had two prior convictions for armed robbery, just what in the hell was he doing running around loose on the street preying on the rest of us?

In spite of what any promoter of gun control has to say, I cannot imagine how depriving honest and law-abiding members of society of their right to own firearms could prevent the recurrence of this kind of tragic event. It is, however, easy to visualize the reduction in such crimes that would come about if the Kenneth Harold Lemonds were to be locked permanently away from legitimate society.

WALTER SHULTZ

Tujunga