Remember when the US had a ban on assault weapons?
It is no longer a question of whether our own communities will be affected by gun violence, but rather when will it happen.
Some of us remember when the U.S. had a ban on assault weapons. It prohibited the manufacture or sale for civilian use of certain semi-automatic weapons. It also banned magazines that could accommodate 10 rounds or more. But in 2004, the Republican Congress refused to renew the ban. Today, nearly seven out of 10 Americans support a ban on assault style weapons, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Americans are sickened by the carnage of innocent people who are going about their daily lives and are killed in a mass shooting.
We no longer feel safe at shopping malls, places of worship, theaters and schools. It is affecting the mental health of Americans of all ages. So, for those who say we must address mental health in the U.S. after one of these shootings, the obvious solution would be common sense gun laws.
Before you vote in November, go to the internet and do some research about how much your senator or representative received from the gun lobby. We can change this deadly trend by working to get rid of future production of assault weapons and ones already produced by electing the right people to Congress.
It was not always like this. It can be better. It is up to us.
Janet Dersey
Plymouth
Welcome to Detroit, Lions fans — take your trash when you go
Trump better for economy
Folks should be concerned that someone who did so poorly when she ran in the Democratic Primary a few years back dropped out before a single vote was cast, as her polling was so awful.
Kamala Harris' positions then were far different from what she is saying now. Now she seems to support a border wall , and promises to not ban fracking, a 180-degree turn.
So, which Harris is real, which do you believe?
My opinion is that her handlers have told her to speak to the press as little as possible (less than 17 minutes recently) and to say anything to get elected.
Is Trump perfect? OMG no ... and every talking head on Fox News talks about his poor impulse control and his harping about the 2020 election. But his policies were, and will be, better for the economic success of the U.S. We cannot afford the luxury of the weakness Harris, her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and others would bring.
Michael Muczynski
Tilton, Illinois
Winning ain’t easy: Letting go of a losing identity as a Detroit Lions fan
Harris better for America
Currently, Americans smile and laugh a lot.
We are a happy people because life here in democratic America is better than anywhere else in the world. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, is a happy person who likes to laugh and smile. Contrast that to Republican candidate Donald Trump, who rarely laughs or smiles, and when he does smile, it is usually a smile of derision.
Trump doesn’t understand true happiness, and childishly derides Harris for being a happy person. Candidate Trump is hellbent on changing America from a democracy to an autocracy like Putin’s Russia. I suspect they don’t smile a lot in Russia, and if Trump is somehow re-elected to the presidency of the U.S., Americans will quickly lose their ability to laugh and smile.
What I really can’t understand is how any average American can support Trump. Can’t they hear and see? I understand why the ultra-rich and some politicians support him and, believe me, it isn’t so they can support and defend the Constitution of the U.S. The ultra-rich hope to enrich themselves even further like the Russian oligarchs, and the politicians who support him are simply maneuvering for a high-level government job.
Only one of the candidates has the average American, the middle class, in her heart and mind, and that is Kamala Harris. Make no mistake about it, laughter and joy are being voted on in November.
Lt. Col. James Stuart Emery, U.S. Army (Retired)
Clinton Township
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Donald Trump was better for the economy, Kamala Harris better for America
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