Letters for April 9, 2015

Cite your sources

Re “Faculty, students and staff” (Editorial, April 2):

The idea of the armed citizen speaks to the very core and foundations that made this country. Studies have been done in numerous prisons that go something like “If you were to commit a crime in an area where the number of people are armed is considerably high, what is the likelihood of you committing said crime on a scale of 1 to 10?” It doesn’t take a big fancy college degree to know what the answer was. More crimes have been stopped by armed citizens than the media is willing to report on. In a study over the course of eight years’ worth of news stories, armed citizens have stopped tens of thousands of crimes. Many will point to the fact that armed citizens don’t stop mass shooters. This is because mass shooters usually pick “gun-free zones” as their targets for a reason. Recent psychological findings conclude that each mass shooter is trying to “outscore” previous mass shooters. They want a turkey shoot, not a force-on-force shootout that will prematurely end their killing spree. Criminals in elected office also fear armed citizens standing up to kangaroo courts and illegal seizure of land and assets.

Brandon McDoanald

Gardnerville

Right to self-defense

Re “Campus Carry letters” (Letters to the Editor, April 2):

The letters about campus carry in the past couple weeks have frustrated me quite a bit. I own a Mossberg 500 and a Ruger SP 101 for sport and to protect me and my fiancée in whatever situation may arise. However, when I get to the University of Nevada, Reno campus, I have to disarm myself and leave myself vulnerable. People have argued that the passage of this bill will lead to accidental discharges, but in the 150 college campuses that allow conceal carry, there have been three cases of a negligent discharge. Two of those occurred because the gun was not in a holster, a rule that can easily be added by the university. None of the cases caused serious injuries. Those who have a carry permit have been trained to be responsible. Plus, if there is a shooting, I personally would like to protect myself as an adult against the aggressor rather than let a massacre continue uncontested until campus police finally show up. There was also a letter that commented on the police not knowing who the attacker is, but this has never been an issue anywhere else in society, as gun fights are over in a matter of seconds, and the police are trained for such an occurrence. Disarming good guys won’t stop bad guys. I’m not a vigilante; just an adult who wants to protect himself.

Jacob Guariglia

Reno

Silence Trainor

Re “Should Nevada dance to Israel’s tune?” (Let Freedom Ring, March 5):

Shame on Brendan Trainor’s pathetic attempt to slip Jew hatred into his weekly conservative column. Nevada and Israel are mutually exclusive. Heck, you can’t even find a Jew here to stand up and defend Israel.

That doesn’t give Mr. Trainor the green light to spew the tired, false Israel rhetoric in an article crafted only to show his progressive mindset. Then, bam, he goes right into a square dance diatribe.

Disproportional reaction to Gaza? Mr. T should inform us as to how 10,000 indiscriminate rocket barrage aimed at civilians in Tel Aviv compare to the surgical take-out of undisputed launching sites placed in hospitals, schools and apartments in Gaza? Maybe you and Ira Hansen should hook up and form your own radio program. “Pseudo-Republicans for Hamas” or something catchy. Shame on the Reno News & Review for not catching this obvious propaganda ploy.

Patt Vinikow

Washoe Valley

Editor’s note: There was nothing for us to catch. We do not censor our columnists. Moreover, we object to the idea that criticism of Israel constitutes anti-Semitism. That notion has chilled Middle East debate far too much. As for Nevadans willing to defend Israel, Sheldon Adelson, Harry Reid, the Las Vegas Sun, author John Marschall (Jews in Nevada), state legislator John Ellison, and thousands of other good people of all faiths come to mind. Trainor will probably enjoy your characterization of his “progressive mindset,” though.

Government SNAFUS

Re “Driving us crazy” (Notes from the Neon Babylon, March 5):

The Reno DMV office has problems beyond the workload. There’s sometimes a tone of disdain for the public there that may have to do with bad branch management. If you have to kill a morning, drive to the Carson office early in the middle of the week. It’s a beautiful 30-minute drive, and your wait time is often short, but if it is a couple hours you can spend it across the street at Schat’s Bakery (wrecking that low carbs New Year’s resolution). But yeah, when the parking lot overflows at Reno, we need more capacity.

Along other lines, how many times does WCSD General Council Randy Drake have to “step in it” before he’s called to account? As I pointed out when the Pedro Martinez mess blew up, the Board was acting like it had no legal counsel, and I thought then that Drake should be fired. He continues to display a level of job performance that’s worse than not showing up at all. When your lawyer gets you in trouble just by opening his mouth, it’s time for a new lawyer.

C.G. Green

Reno

Pierce the corporate haze

Re “High desert” (Green, April 2):

I was wondering if any of your investigative journalists were going to do a follow up or original story on the link between those who have been granted either dispensary licenses or growing licenses for marijuana and those entities that already have liquor licenses. I saw the tail end of a news broadcast in which a debate was to be held on the subject here in Reno, but the person from the Nevada State Regulatory division did not show up. I know that most likely the decision to make medical and/or recreational marijuana available in this state is a hot potato and will probably not be brought up for discussion in the current legislature and therefore will appear on the 2016 ballot as a citizen initiative. However, I am more concerned about the cards being stacked against a financed small businessman/woman being able to compete when casinos and other major businesses who hold liquor licenses have the advantage of gaining a license for a marijuana dispensary or growing facility, due to the possible fact that a marijuana license of any kind is linked to an existing or purchased liquor license, which could be sold to another entity along with the dispensary and/or growing license.

Tim Sanders

Reno

Shared wealth

Re “This land is your land” (Left Foot Forward, March 12):

The open landscapes of Nevada and our clean water and air are the state’s greatest natural resources, far more valuable intact than developed. We will do very well with it, not so well without it. Of the few other states that share this tremendous asset, we are the warmest, with the most historic communities and the closest to California. Nevada is one of the five most popular states for global visitors because of what we have right now. While mining, gambling and the other extractive industries fluctuate with their markets, the American West is a universal attraction and we have it in abundance. Our history has taught us that the bottom line is not always the best gauge of value, and that a boom is prelude to a bust. Sustainable is best, long-term is best. Anything less is a bubble, Tesla included.

David Toll

Gold Hill