To The Editor:

Have we learned nothing?  Why, I repeat, why would anyone these days consider going to a movie, political event or their house of worship unarmed?  Obviously the slaughter of innocents hasn’t made much of an impression on the fools who continue to take these walks on the wild side, and they only have themselves to blame for the consequences of their lack of preparedness.

Really, how many times does the N.R.A. have to tell you that in order to protect your rights, including your right to gather, you need to be packing.  Even PBS types should be able to grasp this simple concept, which leaves me wondering what the congregants of the Wisconsin temple were thinking. Picking and choosing which of your rights to exercise clearly doesn’t work.

If just one member of this congregation would have had the forethought to be armed up with a proper assault weapon (semi-auto, of course) before attending services, perhaps the body count would have been lessened.  Perhaps.  Realistically though, I understand that this is an election year and not the appropriate time to dwell on such as prevention of these incidents.

Better would be another day, another year, another century.  Or not.

Alan MacFarland, Tallmadge, Ohio