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Gun control’s basic math
shows lower death count
Dan Walters’ Sacramento shooting column (“Sacramento shooting spotlights failure of state’s gun restrictions,” Page A6, April 7) starts off quickly with a falsehood: It is folly “believing that ‘gun violence’ can be meaningfully reduced by trying to choke off the supply of firearms.”
It’s simple mathematics that has been proven around the world in countries like Great Britain, Australia and Canada. Our deaths from firearms greatly outnumber those in other countries precisely because those countries have better restrictions on firearms. It is certainly true that California’s laws haven’t prevented all shootings in the state, but laws against speeding, burglary and murder also have not totally prevented those offenses from occurring. Again it’s simple mathematics: Laws that make it harder to obtain guns will reduce the number of gun deaths.
It is a great misfortune that the Supreme Court ignored the “well-regulated militia” portion of the Second Amendment. It is also unfortunate that Walters doesn’t offer his solution for preventing violence.
Michael Penick
Palo Alto
Khamis’ goal is holding
office, not public service
I disagree with the Mercury News endorsement of Johnny Khamis for the Santa Clara County District 1 supervisor seat (“Khamis the best choice for county supervisor seat,” Page A12, April 8).
I met him when he came to my door campaigning for District 10 San Jose City Council seat. He told me he wanted to reduce taxes. He was speechless when I told him I wouldn’t mind paying higher taxes if it meant potholes were fixed and police responded in a timely manner. Most telling during the conversation was his reluctance to state his party affiliation. In 2020 he said he changed his party affiliation because of Donald Trump’s immigration policy. I believe he changed his party affiliation to independent when he ran, and got beaten soundly, for a state Senate seat because he knew he couldn’t win being a Republican.
Bottom line? Johnny Khamis is only interested in running for office, whether it be the City Council, state Senate or county supervisor. There are better candidates.
Harvey Tran
San Jose
Ranked-choice vote isn’t
panacea for democracy
Re. “Ranked choice voting now under threat in California,” Page A12, April 8:
Ranked-choice voting is nothing more than an instant runoff that saves cities money by not having to send out runoff ballots. San Jose does not have it, and I hope it never does.
That said, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin have the audacity to say in their last line, “It would take us further away from a true democracy.” How absurd. Seriously, the only thing it is saving is money, and Schaaf and Arreguin’s claim is nothing more than crying wolf.
Both mayors should look at the Republican states and see where democracy is being destroyed. Democrats need to unify and stop the in-party nastiness. I am grateful that neither of them is the mayor of San Jose.
Michael McWalters
Alviso
San Jose has neglected
its parks for too long
I just read Sal Pizzaro’s column regarding Columbus Park possibly headed for a name change (“Columbus Park could be headed for a new name,” Page B1, April 8). Christopher Columbus would probably welcome that as he would be embarrassed to have the park named after him the way the city has allowed it to fall into a disgusting state of disrepair.
As it is, the city of San Jose has done a very poor job over the years when it comes to having a sufficient number of parks for our 1 million residents. The lack of parks is even more glaring when you see the lack of importance placed on the existing parks, like Columbus Park, when our city leaders determine what is important as they list out priorities for available funds. It’s either that or no one is holding the parks and recreation department accountable. Maybe both are true.
Mark Milioto Sr.
San Jose
Progress impossible with
McConnell in charge
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, were the lone three Republicans to back Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
It’s not all Donald Trump’s fault. The system was broken before he took office, and it sure is broken now. The constant in the dysfunction of the Republican Party is Sen. Mitch McConnell. He has convinced half the country that all political discourse is a zero-sum game: Whatever you gain, I lose, and vice versa. He needs to show a united front against every idea proposed by the opposition as if it were stealing food from the mouths of starving babies. All progress from Democrats is bad and must be undone, the populace be damned. Win/win is for losers. No Merrick Garland, no Jackson.
How sad for our nation that there is no compromise on anything, and only three Republicans have the guts to say so.
Patrick Mahoney
Sunnyvale
Source: www.mercurynews.com