Readers sound off on assault weapons, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders

Assault weapons

I certainly agree with Rekha Basu’s June 16 column, “Weapons of mass murder are our common enemy.”

Automatic weapons and any firearm that allows multiple gunshots should be banned for anyone but the armed forces and perhaps law-enforcement entities.

I’m sure the ban would not stop all killings, but it would slow individuals with mental illness or who hate others from killing so many so quickly.

The only purpose of those guns is to kill.

Ellen Moore

Raymore

President Trump

I’m not saying I’m voting for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and I’m not saying I won’t.

Let’s face it. He came out of nowhere.

Political cartoonist Lee Judge can put down Trump all he wants in his editorial cartoons.

Those who oppose this candidate can come up with all the bad history on the guy they want.

However, more than likely, Teflon Don will be the next president of the United States.

Stan Glazer

Lenexa

Unfair AR-15 ban

Since the terrorist attacked the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., and killed and injured more than 100 people, it seems as if everyone wants to ban the AR-15 assault rifle because it enabled so many deaths and injuries.

The club was a gun-free zone, and it took three hours for the police to go in with their guns.

If this shooter would have used a black backpack bomb in the same crowded club, would the people calling for a ban on the AR-15 be calling for a ban on black backpacks?

I know that is a silly comparison, but blaming the type of weapon is just as silly.

It seems the common factor in all these mass killings is the mental health or the ideology of the person who commits the act.

Remember, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 was done with fuel oil, fertilizer and a truck.

The Boston Marathon bombs involved a pressure cooker.

Ron Wilson

Kansas City, Kan.

Backing Sanders

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders is not perfect, but eight years of another Clinton would be disastrous for America.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is bought and paid for (bribed) by big banks.

Sanders is not a millionaire, unlike Clinton, and has not taken a penny from a super political action committee.

And the only people he owes are regular Americans for supporting him.

Sanders’ reason to run has always been to bring equity and fairness to all Americans. I also want a president who is discerning.

Sanders knew the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq was a mistake and voted against it.

But Clinton voted for the “big lie” propagated by then-President George W. Bush and his underlings.

I want a president who can see through lies, corporate greed and the rigged economic system and will champion the diminishing middle class for a change.

Go Bernie.

James L. Wrolstad

Liberty

Mental illness

Let’s continue to foster awareness of mental health issues (6-19, A1, “‘An underground epidemic’”).

By putting the stories of individuals living with mental illness on the front page, we make a powerful statement that illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are real, widespread and worth addressing on a societal, rather than simply personal, level.

When those stories are shared, others are encouraged to speak up, replacing stigma with solidarity.

I thank you for candidly expressing the additional struggle young people face in receiving affordable treatment for mental illness as well as for including voices from those actually experiencing mental illness.

I hope we can continue to have positive and public conversations about mental health that engage other demographic intersections as well.

We heard about some of the challenges young people in particular face in caring for their mental health.

Now let’s hear about the challenges faced by those experiencing mental illness in rural areas, where they might not have access to resources such as ArtMakers’ Place.

Let’s start a conversation about how mental illness poses particular problems for immigrants, whose language and citizenship status might result in even more isolation.

Let’s keep speaking up.

Virginia Davis

Kansas City, Kan.

This story was originally published June 21, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Readers sound off on assault weapons, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders."