To The Editor:

Chris Cox’s opinion column concerning “trying to make sense of Orlando” in the June 15 edition of this paper (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/17857) was a sham to promote his own political views. Not a bad read until the Donald Trump bashing began and snide remarks aimed at the NRA, so conveniently noted as the gun lobby. 

Orlando, a tragedy indeed, need not be dragged into the political arena. Plain and simple, a deranged individual who managed to convince the FBI he was a good guy and should be allowed to buy a gun is the guilty party here, not Donald Trump or the NRA or our 4.5 million members. Of course, liberals are screaming for more gun control, which has been a failure from the get-go. Perps do not adhere to the law, so all the gun laws in the world will not stop these incidents from happening. 

Compounding this tragedy, too bad bouncers and bartenders were not armed so this episode of rage and terror could have been contained to a minimum. You can never save the first victim; element of surprise and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but, wouldn’t it have been great if an armed citizen (not consuming) or employee stepped up to the plate and held this carnage in check. Bottom line, a few dead instead of a staggering 50!

 As for Chris’ attempt at interpreting the 2nd Amendment, it’s pretty clear, very simple: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” It couldn’t be any plainer, a simple statement, as it was intended to be, but one that has been twisted and redefined to promote the agenda of the liberal media whose answer to any act of violence is “ban everything!”

“Gun-free zones” are preying opportunities for miscreants and their ilk, and these so-called safe havens should be eliminated for they are anything but safe. Why? The only guy with a gun is a bad guy because again, bad guys don’t obey the law. 

Amazing how we trust an 18-year-old kid with an M16 as long he is 10,000 miles away, but when that same kid comes home he has to jump through hoops to carry a weapon for self defense because he isn’t 21 years old; old enough to defend his country, but not old enough to defend himself on his own soil. What’s wrong with that picture? 

J. (Duke) De Luca, 

Otto