Memo from the John Rhine at The American Wisdom Series:We've already banned nail clippers and butter knives from our public schools. That doesn't seem to have stopped the violence. It only created nightmares for little Johnny's parents. 

But since this hammer incident happened we, here at the AWS believe we need to demand that hammers be eliminated from construction sites, even from our homes. The problem with that is we would then have to use pneumatic nail guns and they would be much more dangerous to possess then a hammer. What to do? Oh my, what can we do? 
Ridiculous you say? So are nail clippers and butter knives. But that won't stop our politicians from legislating more "feel good laws". Trying to eliminate firearms is ridiculous also but politicians will do whatever it takes to get a dumbed down public to feel good and vote for them again in the next election, and they will keep passing "feel good laws" until they completely destroy our country!

Wow! I can hear it now semi-automatic pneumatic nail guns with a magazine holding 6 dozen nails. That would be an assault nail gun.

We can't have that! Even though they would be no more automatic the the semi-automatic rifles and pistols, sold over the counter today, that gun control people call, and a dumbed down public believes are military  assault weapons.

It would make too much sense to repeal all those ridiculous  laws; Put Bible reading back into our public school homerooms; If we did that our school shooting and our hammer murder problems would disappear again in several generations.

I'll bet that three generations after we did that my great, great. great grandchildren would even again be allowed to take their rifle and skunk to school! See  "When I was a young boy:"  below

Those were the good old days which I wish my grandchildren could experience. But alas, I'm afraid it won't happen again in this earth age!

We have noticed that the following 16 Letters to the editor (In the blue shaded box below)  were submitted to the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Patriot News since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings took place and have appeared in their electronic edition. 

But, not many of them appeared in the print edition of the news paper. We wonder why! We also wonder about the nature of those that may have been submitted but not placed in either edition. Some of these letters do promote very interesting thought.

Memo: Since we have no way to and therefore did not contact any of these people to seek permission to print their letters, we have deleted their names.

Letter to the editor:

Harrisburg has seen another homicide. This time a hammer was used. We need to take measures to control hammers. Here are some of the "common sense" steps that need to be taken:

• A ban on semiautomatic nail guns that fire a nail every time the trigger is pulled and a limit on the number of nails in the feed mechanism. Semiautomatic nail guns should only be in the hands of licensed contractors.
• A ban on hammers with a weight of more than 12 ounces or a handle longer than 10 inches. We all know the more weight a hammer has the more dangerous it is and the longer the handle the more force can be exerted.
• A thorough background check before a hammer is purchased.
• A one-per-month limit on hammer purchases after the background check is approved.
• Require a license to carry a hammer outside the home or workplace. This would be the first step to hammer registration which could then lead to government confiscation of all hammers.
• Declare all schools as hammer-free zones.

The above measures make about as much sense as President Obama's wishes on gun control. The problem is not with guns or the type of gun but guns in the wrong hands. I wish the President would spend as much time and energy on "crime control" as he does on gun control.

Letter to the editor:

After writing to Senator Casey to voice my concerns over the attempts to infringe upon our Rights confirmed by the Pennsylvania and U.S. Constitutions, he replied;

“ …on December 14, 2012, an individual…forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire on teachers and staff in the building. In total, the perpetrator murdered 20 students between the ages of six and seven years old, as well as six adults, many of whom heroically sought to stop the shooter and save the lives of children. ”

He repeats many of the erroneous media releases that occurred before an actual investigation began; then states, “After much reflection and careful study of the issue, I have decided to support a federal assault weapons ban as well as legislation restricting high capacity magazines.”

The blood of those innocent children and the heroic but defenseless teachers isn’t only on the hands of a treacherous madman but also the legislators who made it possible by creating these gun-free killing zones.

We can no longer continue to blame inanimate objects for a lack of morals and discipline. Trying to create one huge nationwide “GUN-FREE ZONE” is not only stupid, it’s insane.

I am 76 years old. Years ago you could acquire as many gun as you wanted of any kind and didn't have to tell anyone or register them. An individual in our neighborhood had a BAR machine gun, .30-caliber machine gun a 20 round carbine, Thompson sub- machine gun and even an anti-tank weapon then called a bazooka. All types of surplus weapons were available after World War II and guess what. There were no shootings at schools, churches, movies, political events or gatherings of any kind. It seems the problem is that we have changed

I believe a substantial contributing cause is the constant diet of violence fed to us and especially our children by movies, television, and video games which might desensitize some to such brutality. I doubt that the President, Vice President, or Senator Casey will address the issue since Hollywood provided substantial support to the democrats. Hollywood will hide behind the constitution but the vice president could ask them to do the right thing.

Letter to the editor:

The tragic killing of children in schools is horrific. While we work on more safety controls, and background check laws for gun control; I wonder if anyone has made the connection. It isn't more gun control or even increasing safety measures that will stop the killings.

We must have respect for every human life. Since the l973 Roe v. Wade Supreme court decision overturned almost all state laws protecting the unborn child, over 55 million unborn babies have been killed by abortion and discarded as trash.

It is now obvious, as was predicted, that the total disregard for the value of human life before birth has resulted in the disregard for human life after birth.

Point 2: The psychopath who set the fire and murdered the policemen & firemen was released from prison where he was incarcerated for "murdering his grandmother with a hammer" by the same liberals who still would not have executed him. And just where did he obtain that rifle anyways? Sure bet it was not legally purchased.

Point 3: The same people who are so vocal over gun control are the same people who will not execute criminals who murder people. They are the same people who argue for the privacy rights of psychopaths medical records which would prevent psychopaths from legally buying a gun.

Final Point: The psychopaths and various other criminals normally obtain weapons by murdering a family member or stealing from a law abiding gun owner, or buying one that was stolen by another criminal. The gun control lobby will always ignore this one most important fact and continue to insist against all logic and reason that law abiding legal gun owners are the problem which leads me to believe that the reason they fight so vigorously to keep secret mental health records is because they don't want anyone to see their own.

I would like to start off by mentioning that I have never owned a gun, but after reading your article “It’s time for posturing on gun control to end”, I will be purchasing one. Thankfully, the second amendment gives me this right. I am growing tired of your continual demonization of American citizens who don’t want to live in a nanny state. Do you honestly believe that by putting more gun laws into effect, this will somehow keep criminals from committing more crimes?

The second amendment is designed to protect the citizens from an over-reaching government. Unfortunately, we are living in a time in which millions of responsible Americans feel that our government is doing just that. I am disappointed that your paper is not more balanced in its reporting, but it does not surprise me. Any honest discussion about curtailing violence in our culture would have to include topics, such as the breakdown of the family, violence in the media, and the acceptance of personal responsibility.

Perhaps in the future the Patriot-News will spend some time investigating these issues. I won’t hold my breath though. These are subjects that do not mesh well with a big government agenda. What would there be to write about if we couldn’t blame other people?

Letter to the editor:

Wow, your calm and sensible epistle on gun control was totally devoid of emotional outbursts. Consider the readers of the three-day Patriot well informed.

What happened in Newtown CT was an abomination against mankind, not guns. Had that person used a baseball bat, would the outcry to ban bats metal or wood be heard? How do you know that the government won’t use this as an excuse not come take our guns whether now or at some point in the future? You don’t.

I don’t trust our government because they are not there to serve us as the Founding Fathers envisioned, but their own personal quest for power and our money. You said our Founding Fathers could not foresee the advancement of weaponry, well, you are right. But they could and did foresee a government becoming the almighty force that, instead of working for the people, worked for themselves and special interests.

The social contract that you mentioned is called the Constitution, The Amendments and the Bill of Rights. That is the only social contract that is in place. To quote Charlie Reese “It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted – by present facts – of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people (he does include the Supreme Court in his count). When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.” The government doesn’t fix anything, but tears apart. Thank you for your insightful epistle.

Letter to the editor:

Progressives/Democrats will try to say that gun bans are because guns are not safe. Crazy people like your neighbor needs to be controlled, but not you. This lie is the basis of anti-gun, anti-second amendment-hating people. The second amendment protects individuality, personal property, raising a family, private business and our right to defend those things with guns.

These liars hate our country, U.S. Constitution, freedom, responsibility, and your right to choose. If you do not like guns, how will you defend your rights? What is your plan? This is not a plan for peace or safety, but for ever-expanding government and the destruction of your personal life.

I am a member of the NRA and Second Amendment Foundation. I do not just believe in my rights, I believe in other’s rights also. Teachers, students and citizens with conceal carry permits should be allowed to carry at schools. The NRA has good training programs for gun owners. All citizens in good standing should have Conceal Carry Permits – not just those who can demonstrate life or death needs. Please respect the separation of powers. The opinions of the federal and state governments are interesting, but ultimate decision for schools is local.

The semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun was invented in 1898. The PA Game Commission now says they are not safe for big game hunting. This should be changed back. The government wants us to forget what we know and believe what the government tells us. Semi-auto rifles are effective hunting weapons as well as effective home defense.

Letter to the editor:

I'm a retired school teacher having taught for 40 years. I taught both before and after Bible reading and prayer were removed from the school.

There was a different atmosphere in the school after prayer was removed. Students were more difficult to control. Before Bible and prayer were removed, behavior problems included chewing gum, homework not being done, shirt-tail out and truancy. Today we would call these very minor offenses.

After Bible and prayer were removed from the school, problems escalated to more serious infractions: drugs, alcohol, assault on students and teachers, and yes, shootings. When prayer was removed from the school, some said kids were just reciting words and didn't know what they were saying. But the reality is, God honors what we say! Praying what seems like a simple Lord's Prayer, is powerful and effective. According to Dr. Phil, since the 1970s there have been more than 30 shootings in our schools. There are no reports of any shootings in our school before prayer was removed.

We still dont get it! It's getting late, but the answer is very simple: only God can heal our land, only God can heal our schools.

Letter to the editor:

The discussion on gun violence is certainly appropriate, including the mental health aspect, and violence depicted in the entertainment industry. However, the 500 plus yearly murders in Chicago alone should lead us to a discussion on the value of human life that leaves young folks dead for the sneakers they were wearing.

We must include the 17 million abortions performed since Roe v Wade in the discussion on human life at all stages. Vice President Biden, a Catholic, professes to be pro-life, but said he would not force his opinion on others since Roe v Wade is the law of the land. Someone needs to remind him that the Second Amendment is also the law of the land.

President Obama, our first black president, should be using the influence he has to improve the deadbeat dad situation in this country. I would venture a guess that most of the gun violence in our cities is committed by young folks living without fathers and in some cases, no parents at home at all. Is the idea of studying the lack of concern for human life too racially sensitive when it comes to abortion and parenting?

Or will all this killing merely disappear by blaming the gun?

Letter to the editor:

The views expressed by Xxxx Xxxxxx in the Jan. 8th edition represent another radical view of the gun control issue. His assertion that American shooters kill more Americans than terrorists fails to include our troops in Afghanistan. If memory serves me correctly, all of the recent mass homicides were committed by mentally unstable individuals.

In the next page of that same Patriot News, Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx presents a gloomy view of the present crisis of mental health treatment. Preventing mentally challenged individuals from possessing a gun of any kind should be first priority in Washington.

As it stands at present, a firearm background check does not cull out these individuals because we have no national database to identify them. If physicians are required to advise PennDOT when elderly citizens have lost required driving skills, why can they not alert the State Police when they treat persons they believe should not be permitted to possess firearms? If medical confidentiality applies to one should it not be applicable to both?

You are correct, Mr. Xxxxxxx, firearm violence will never end, but it could be reduced considerably by identifying potential psychopaths who may interpret violence as the ultimate thrill. There are literally hundreds of gun laws on the books at present. Many trample on the Second Amendment rights of honest, sane, law abiding gun owners.

Simply removing automatic rifles (improperly called assault rifles) from their ownership fails to attack the root of the problem.

Letter to the editor:

The great outcry from the media to prevent violence in our society is to ban guns, make more gun laws, and enforce the laws already in place. Controlling violence isn’t about fewer guns, more regulations or taking guns from law-abiding citizens; it's about changing the heart. Our society has cheapened life by legalizing the murder of innocent babies and consideration of euthanasia of individuals deemed unnecessary and now legalizing yet another mind-altering drug. Violence is fed into the minds of our young every day and it affects how they view the importance of their life and the lives of others.

Where is the outcry to ban violence from our movies, TV, computers, video games and all forms of entertainment that is used to warp the impressionable minds of our precious children? We need to encourage morality and support family values by carrying out Jesus' last words to his disciples. 'All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' You can read this full account in the Bible in the book of Matthew.

The research states that by and large, ordinary people do not murder. Ninety percent of those who murder, have already lived a life demonstrating criminal intent. Countries like Russia and Luxembourg have the strictest gun control laws of any nation, yet their murder rate exceeds all other nations per 100,000 people. One tendency that research did expose points to cultures, that become fearful and push for greater gun control.

Concerning the recent mass murders, how many were committed by those who were on prescribed psychotropic medication? It is estimated that 20 percent of Americans take some form of medication prescribed by today's psychiatric doctors. Again, do the research. There are many testimonies concerning these mind altering pharmaceuticals. Many Americans are at risk, both those who take these drugs, and those who are murdered by these medicated individuals. I will keep my guns.

Letter to the editor:

The easiest, cheapest, simplest thing to do to discourage nut cases from shooting up schools or any other public place that displays a sign saying: THIS IS A GUN FREE ZONE, or as in the case of a school in Marlboro, NJ a sign that has SCHOOL WATCH at the top and then a symbolic depiction of a gun, bomb and knife in a red circle with a red slash, is to take down these idiotic signs that are nothing more than an open invitation to nut cases to come on in.

Replace them with signs that say THESE PREMISES PROTECTED BY ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Mr. Colt, Mr. Luger, Mr. Baretta and others. Of course it would be in violation of the federal law that mandates these areas be designated gun free zones.

But don’t worry about that. Any school principal that does this need not worry about the Feds coming to arrest him or her and the congress could repeal the law in short order. As for backing up the sign with actual armed personnel, that would at the principals discretion.

Letter to the editor:

Since the tragic event at Sandy Hook Elementary School we hear once again that we need to have a serious conversation about gun control. I suggest that conversation needs to encompass more than just whether or not to ban certain guns. It should include a serious look at what feeds this gun culture.

Effective in January of 1971, advertisements for cigarettes were banned from all forms of electronic communication. This was based on research that concluded that cigarette smoke was definitely connected with cancer among smokers. Not that all smokers would develop cancer. But all smokers had a statistically higher risk of cancer than non-smokers. That legislation did not stop smoking. And it did not crush the tobacco industry. But it did recognize the fact that advertising was enhancing the image of smoking. And it was the beginning of years of a declining percentage of American smokers.

I suggest as a legitimate alternative to the knee-jerk banning of specific weapons, why not mirror the cigarette advertising ban with legislation that would ban advertising that glorifies gun violence. Such a move would be a lot more palatable than gun bans and those resisting it would be less influential than the NRA and their ilk.

Also, it addresses not the individual's access to guns but the influence of advertising and electronic media on those whose psyches are vulnerable to perversion.

So within this much needed conversation, lets address causes - not band aids.

Letter to the editor:

The Sandy Hook massacre accomplished its intended purpose: to stir up sentiment for gun control. Before you join the frenzy, explain this: The alleged shooter Adam Lanza was found dead in the school with two handguns. The children were riddled with bullets from a .223-caliber rifle; Two men were apprehended fleeing the scene; a third man was apprehended in the nearby woods.

  When I was a young boy: When I was a young boy (10 years old) in elementary school, back in the 1950s many of us were into the trapping of furbearing animals as the various seasons arrived. Muskrats, mink, raccoons skunks, and what have you. We would check our trap lines before school. We (ten year old boys) normally carried our .22 caliber rifles, to humanly kill the animals we caught. Remember this was before school each morning. Our teacher never gave it a second thought when we carried our rifles along to school. She would allow us to store them in a closet until after school. (Believe it or not, if we caught a skunk we also carried it along to school. We did leave it outside. I doubt if Mrs. Klienfelter would have allowed a skunk in her closet) The point I'm about to make is; There were no mass shootings taking place in schools in those days. (10 year old boys weren't killing people in those days; No, but we were reading our Bible in school each day before classes began) There was no TV in those days. (well, I take that back; the Walmers, who lived, in our town, had a TV. We would sometimes, when invited, go there on Saturday morning to watch "Roy Rodgers" round up the bad guys who always wore the black cowboy hats. I remember the snow was always pretty bad on that TV.)  We boys spent allot of our free time shooting holes in tin cans at the town dump in the evenings (I don't know what the girls did; Didn't much care in those days.). All we really cared about was, would someone in town pay us enough for doing chores to go to Mulfair's general store to buy another box of 22s. (bullets)

So what has changed other then the fact that since schools became gun free zones they have become more dangerous places. There must be more to the story! One other thing I can think of is there was a time when the Bible was the text book of choice when a school board was choosing a book to teach reading from.  What else is different since I was a boy? Well, we started each day with the reading of a passage of Scripture. We took turns doing that each day. Now students are not even allowed to pray. Well they can, under their breath. How many 8 year old children will do that with out much needed adult supervision.
 
So, I guess Satan has won that battle. Where will it end?

I'm not sure, today, that we will ever be able to end gun free zones or get Bible reading and prayer back into our schools. That will be nearly impossible, without divine intervention, after having raised a generation of children who are adults now and never experienced the time when they all felt safe.