Two months have passed since the Newtown, Conn., shootings. Numerous letter writers have concentrated on gun rights and the idea of arming Americans against the inevitable day when the government's jackbooted thugs break down the doors to confiscate their guns, even though it would take the assents of two consecutive Congresses and the legislatures of 39 states for this to become reality.
What I have not read in them are references to the National Rifle Association's two other talking points: Our "broken mental health system" and our "culture of violence."
This does not count the violent, bloody and consequence-free deaths of additional thousands of virtual victims who are gleefully vaporized every day by video game players. It is not the foreign lands that are the war zones, but our own streets and living rooms.
My question is: Having acknowledged these flaws in our society, does the NRA plan to step up to help ameliorate them?
Will it issue suggestions for defusing our culture of explosive violence? Might it dig into its very deep pockets to sponsor initiatives to alter and improve the care of the mentally ill?
The aphorism has long been: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Which is the NRA?
ROBERT M. NOTTKE
Schenectady