Assault on Assault Weapons
Editor’s Note: Earlier this month, residents of Longmeadow voted on three proposed measures to ban all assault weapons from the town, keep a more detailed catalog of guns kept in town, and to ban any firearm from public buildings and recreation areas. All of the proposed measures were voted down. Below is reader reaction to a column written prior to the vote.
The Between the Lines [“Can Longmeadow Ban Assault Weapons?” May 5-11, 2016] looks at the proposed Longmeadow “assault weapons” ban would have been improved with some comparison of the firearms murders in the two communities directly north of Longmeadow, but south of the “Tofu Curtain,” i.e., Springfield and Holyoke. These two communities suffer firearm murders that, taken together over the last four years, double the number killed at the 2012 mass shooting at Newtown, Connecticut. And I doubt that an assault weapons ban would have made any difference there.
Rich Colton,
Montague
Obviously, editor Kristin Palpini, this article has now been rendered moot by the overwhelming support here in town against this seriously flawed (as written) attempt to make we legal gun owners here in town the scapegoat for every nut who decides to perpetrate violence via a firearm. If nothing else even the anti-gun folks here in town realize that these warrants, as written, were nothing but a violation of the second and fourth amendments at best. People who pooh-poohed owning guns here in town suddenly changed their tune when they realized that our police officers wouldn’t be able to carry firearms in performance of their daily duties.
Christopher Hodges,
Longmeadow
Fossil Fuels Run UMass
There has been a continuous “urgent call for action” at UMass that fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground. Yet, UMass continues daily to burn fossil fuel in its power plant to run the campus, including providing heating or cooling and electricity for its massive library [From Our Readers: “Open Letter on UMass Divestment” signed by university library staff, May 12-18, 2016]. This is the reality, that UMass annually obtains millions of dollars worth of natural gas through a pipeline to its power plant. This sends a message, loud and clear, that the university stands for the purchase and use of fossil fuels. That’s a fact. The library staff could look at the shining of each electric light in the library and ask itself how those lights are powered. A little bit of research would be shocking. So, who will protest the pipeline to the power plant and the purchase of millions of dollars worth of natural gas yearly? Anyone? After all, it’s urgent. Hurry, it’s urgent.
Gary Fitzgerald,
Granby
Pride and Gratitude
Hunter Styles and the Valley Advocate really went all out for us this year (“Your Guide to Pride: Northampton’s annual parade and Pride day celebrates its 35th anniversary,” May 5-11, 2016). Despite questionable weather, the turnout was a record 25,000. Your wonderful front page and spread helped tremendously, no doubt. I do not underestimate the power of the press!
J.M. Sorrell
Noho Pride spokesperson
Correction: In the May 12-18, 2016, edition, the authorship of “Track Record: New albums by Rufus Wainwright and The Jayhawks” was misattributed. The article was written by the Associated Press.
