Respect Sisters Country

To the Editor:

I am a resident of our beautiful area and have been for 40-plus years. I used to live on a quiet country road. It has become a highway, drag strip, and area of great concern to me. The wildlife is killed on a daily basis, and the construction trucks drive with reckless speeds while garbage blows out of the back of trucks and trailers.

If you are building, moving, spending time here, get to know the history, the fragile ecosystems, and our water issues of our area. Become a steward and make it better, not worse. Just because you moved here does not mean you belong here. Be more respectful in your process of becoming a citizen of this area.

Slow down and let the wildlife survive and continue to be here. It is imperative to work together, because the growth is becoming unmanageable.

Rebecca French

Gun culture

To the Editor:

Re: Letter to Editor from Terry Wygandt, The Nugget, June 29:

The letter from Mr. Weygandt was written a short time following the Uvalde mass murder at the hands of a disturbed young citizen. The hardest among us cannot help but feel sorrow and outrage in the aftermath of that atrocity. Now, heaped upon the horror of Uvalde, we have the Chicago Parade Killer.

The left, once again, supported by such people as the author of the letter, attacks “the usual suspects:” guns and lawful gun owners. And he continues his attack by personally naming a member of our local community who has devoted much of his life in service to the United States and defense of our American way of life as a member of law enforcement. The author’s shameless attack is disgusting. What life experience does he base criticism of one of our fundamental rights upon?

America is not the only country with the issue of mass shootings or school shootings in particular. Other countries have solved this issue by hardening their institutions of education. This has been accomplished by improved security to the physical complex itself and by training and arming teachers (male and female) with effective counter terrorism weaponry. Yes, there is a cost to that option, but ask any parent of one of the victims at Uvalde or Chicago if it would be worth it.

Both of these shootings occurred by deranged shooters who acquired their weapons legally. Illinois has among the toughest gun regulations in the U.S.A. Virtually every gun control law that has been proposed by the left was in place in Illinois. They failed. The regulations failed to stop the shooting. In both cases there was ample warning that the shooter had a “screw loose” prior to the criminal act. Nobody did anything. The only people who obey the law are law-abiding citizens. Mass murder, or the desire or intent to do so does not fall under “law abiding.”

What you never see or hear in the “mainstream” media is anything about the 1 million times-plus each year that law-abiding, legal firearms owners use their firearm to protect themselves or their families (U.S. government statistic). Numerous — like more than once a week — instances where legally armed good guys and gals with personal protection either stop or prevent violent crime — goes unreported by the “mainstream” media.

Mr. Weygandt, I would strongly suggest that you arm yourself with factual information. First, you should read about the history of the United States. What inspired the “shots heard round the world” that were fired at Lexington and Concord? You might get some insight into why the “gun culture” as you call it is so important in the fiber of patriotic Americans. Rather than simply regurgitate the same putrid offal that is the mantra of your fellow travelers, why don’t you open your mind a little and learn such interesting facts, like, 97 percent of mass shootings in this country have occurred in “gun-free zones.”

I will leave you with one final thought: You sleep safely and peacefully at night because rough men are willing to do violence in your behalf to give you that privilege.

Harry Pollard

Regulating shooting

To the Editor:

Re: “Ricochet-sparked fire sparks safety issues,” The Nugget, July 6, page 1.

For those unaware, Zimmerman Butte is the Forest Service’s unmanaged recreational shooting area within earshot of Sisters. This is not the first fire at Zimmerman, and the Forest Service goes to great trouble to point out on KTVZ, “The folks were doing everything right, they weren’t using anything illegal.”

However, the bullet is thought to have ricocheted off a cinder and did catch the sage nearby on fire; an admission that lawful use of guns can cause a fire. Isn’t this reason to increase management of this gun area during the fire season? Another fire can endanger all of our homes — the Forest Service needs to take greater responsibility for managing fire risk dangerously close to Sisters.

Stephen King