Letters to the editor: No reason to ban gun shows; doing your part on global warming
Why are gun shows banned?
Re: your Nov. 13 story, “Gun group asks for another shot at shows on fairgrounds”:
Nearly 40,000 Americans are killed in traffic collisions annually. More than 10,000 are the result of criminal misuse of automobiles — drunk driving. These numbers mirror firearm fatalities. Yet car shows are welcomed at our fairgrounds, while gun shows are banned. Why?
Contrary to the myths, one cannot buy automatic weapons at gun shows. The “California-compliant” AR-15s found here are the same semiautomatic rifles available at gun shops across the state. And all gun sales whether commercial or private party must go through the licensed dealers on hand.
Signs at the entrances warn patrons of undercover officers being present, enforcing all gun laws. Nobody would be foolish enough to sell a gun here, illegally to a stranger.
What’s truly foolish is vilifying inanimate objects out of fear and ignorance.
Lloyd Forrester, Simi Valley
Take action on global warming
In October, The Star documented that, between 1895 and 2018, Ventura County was the fastest warming county in the nation. Between 1982 and 2014, Oxnard averaged 10 days each year with high temperatures of 85 or higher. Between 2015 and 2022 the average went up to 27 days per year: a 170% increase.
Our National Academy of Sciences (NOAA) and our NASA have documented that greenhouse gases are warming the planet and making life worse. People can claim it’s a Chinese hoax until they are blue in the face, but our U.S. Navy calls global warming a national security threat. People with friends or family in Texas or Phoenix know the cost from the terrible heat they suffered this year. If you are a longtime resident of Ventura County you’ve felt the heat rise.
Fortunately, we have a president who has taken strong action and passed the bipartisan Inflation Reduction Act. It’s working. This week’s CPI shows inflation continues to drop and is now less than a third of the COVID peak. Biden’s IRA also funds research and action to mitigate global warming. And the IRA makes it cheaper to put in an air conditioning electric heat pump that many are finding that they now need. The IRA makes it cheaper to go all electric in our homes and cars to escape from global warming fossil fuels and their costs.
Psychologists say that the best way to reduce global warming anxiety is to take action. You can save money by making your home (renters, too) and your car fully electric. How good that feels. See how much you can save by entering your zip code in the form at www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator. Your family’s health, the environment and your wallet will thank you.
Joe Connett, Ventura
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters: No reason to ban gun shows; doing your part on global warming
