Bill advancing permitless carry lacks common sense and support of law enforcement | Opinion

No to permitless carry

To get his driver’s license, my son was required to complete 40 hours of driving practice, and pass both a written and a driving test.

But the Second Amendment extremists pushing the dangerously ill-advised permitless carry law don’t think basic training in gun safety or a background check is needed for people as young as 18.

Where is the common sense?

Where is their commitment to law enforcement and crime reduction when they’ve ignored the concerns of numerous law enforcement agencies and gun safety advocates?

The South Carolina GOP – and the GOP at large nationwide – have lost their minds.

The S.C. Senate must vote “No” on S.109. Otherwise, innocent people will pay for it in blood.

Mike Laskavy, Charleston

Stop domestic violence

Breathing feels easy, right?

We often do it without even thinking. Just inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. But imagine that breathing suddenly becomes difficult.

There’s a hand over your mouth and a voice saying, “Don’t fight,” or someone is gripping your throat and slowly choking the breath from your lungs. All at once, breathing feels like the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do.

As survivors of physical and sexual violence, many women in South Carolina know this breathless feeling all too well.

With high rates of domestic abuse, sexual assault and gendered murder, violence against women makes this state a terrifying place for many.

A 2020 S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault report states that upwards of 620 S.C. women each day need help as survivors of domestic violence.

A 2021 National Coalition Against Domestic Violence report reveals that at least 46% of women in S.C. experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

Many women in this state hold their breath, fearing meeting another fist or another unwanted sexual advance. And if this isn’t horrible enough, many S.C. women will never breathe again. According to the Violence Policy Center, South Carolina has been consistently ranked in the top 10 states for most murders of women by men.

This topic deserves greater attention from all who call South Carolina home. Consider the women in your life. Your mother, sister, girlfriend and best friend deserve to feel safe and breathe easily in the place they call home.

Join the fight to stop violence against women in South Carolina by spreading awareness and speaking out on this issue, encouraging policymakers to enact more stringent prosecution of violence against women, and supporting local anti-violence against women organizations such as S.C. Safe Harbor and the Julie Valentine Center.

Stop the violence by saying no to silence! And think of the women who struggle to breathe or will never breathe again each time you inhale with ease.

Fighting violence against women should be as easy as breathing.

Logan Coffee, Easley

Junk mail subsidy?

In a recent Washington Post article published in the Island Packet, the writer stated that the postal rate hike from 63 cents to 66 cents is a bargain.

Unfortunately he does not mention that the U.S. Postal Service has lost $100 billion since 2007, according to Reuters.

While the 2020 fiscal year loss was $9.2 billion and the 2021 loss was only $4.9 billion, taxpayers continue to subsidize the country’s mail delivery service.

This subsidy, at a time when the federal debt is $31 trillion, may be acceptable to the taxpayers, but let’s present all the facts. We are also subsidizing a lot of junk mail.

If the taxpayers are willing to subsidize the USPS because they value the service, that’s fine. But the writer’s statement that the 3-cent increase will cover future costs is misleading.

I’m afraid that without additional government support, which has been the case for many years, the USPS will continue to face financial challenges posed by electronic communications and commercial competition from Fedex and UPS. T

The commercial competitors are garning the higher-margin-package shipping business leaving the lower-margin-bulk-junk mail for USPS.

James Synk, HHI

Thank you

Agape Counseling & Training Services of the Lowcountry (ACTS Counseling) would like to thank The Church Mouse Thrift Shop and The Saint Luke’s Church Outreach Committee for allowing us to be the recipient of funding for our Scholarship Fund, which allows anyone in need to receive affordable counseling.

Sharon Smith, HHI