LETTERS: Wednesday, March 8, 2000

Knee-jerk reaction to gun death Knee-jerk reaction to gun deathTo the Editor: While few think the solution is to restrain teenagers from various forms of media deemed to be violent, it is nevertheless not as simple as the DP editors portray it. One flaw with their argument that guns are the root of the problem is that there have been violent teenagers long before the invention of guns; indeed, the disturbed 6-year-old, about whom the DP editors so deeply care, certainly could have just as easily used a knife to accomplish his purpose. The question they have neglected to ask is: Why is violence among teenagers suddenly so common? They answer that violence is prevalent because it is not difficult to gain access to guns. But this too is grossly fallacious; guns are certainly far more difficult to access than they were 30 or 40 years ago, when it was possible to purchase automatic weapons at the local hardware store. Why, then, are events like the Columbine massacre not more prevalent? The editors have not considered that there might be another answer to why teenage violence is so prevalent. Rather, in their zeal, they offer a poorly considered and emotional solution, which will fix nothing and only further trample upon the Second Amendment. Aaron Yunis College/Wharton '02 To the Editor: As I read Cila Warncke's column "The wrongs of the U.S. religious right" (DP, 3/6/00), I had difficulty discerning exactly whom or what she was attacking and what point she was trying to make. She seemed to attack the views of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. However, she added that "their entire faith is founded on intolerance." That statement broadens the scope of her criticism.EIs she referring to Christianity?EIs she accusing Jesus and his disciples of starting a movement based on intolerance? I suppose Jesus and his disciples could be looked upon as people that spent their lives cramming their beliefs down the throats of others. I suspect, however, that there are a few people who believe the time Jesus spent encouraging peace, love and charity was time well spent. I also suspect there are those that believe that many of our social problems have indeed come from the breakdown of the moral integrity of our society -- a society that, as someone once put it, now only uses the word sinful to describe a high-calorie dessert. For sure, it is one thing to criticize Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and quite another to criticize Christianity as a whole. Jason Nagle College '00