Robert Heinlein and John Lott are wrong in arguing that gun laws do not work. Many factors account for the national reduction in rates of gun crime and gun death, but liberalizing concealed carry laws is not one of them. Recent research by Stanford professor John Donahue found that when concealed carry laws are liberalized rates of aggravated assaults increase.

The fact is, states that passed responsible gun laws are the ones most responsible for the national reduction in rates of gun crime and gun death. A few populous states like California were passing responsible firearm laws, and these states saw their gun crime rates and gun death rates decline faster.

Look, for example, at the case of California. Since the Stockton schoolyard shooting in 1989, activists in California have helped pass more than 50 laws regulating firearms. As these laws took effect, the state’s firearm mortality rate declined by almost twice the rest of the nation, where most of these regulations were absent.

Research by John Lott has been proven false over and over.

Griffin Dix, Ph.D.

Kensington

Oakland/Alameda County Chapter, Brady Campaign

The green in school buses

Re: “Pricey ticket to ride the bus” [Opinion, Sept. 13]: Your lengthy explanation of the price of school bus passes was a classic political spin on the real issue. After cutting through the convoluted rhetoric, the original question remains: Are a small percentage of parents in certain areas paying for the majority of children who may, or may not, be unable to pay their own way? The short, and honest, answer is yes. Like almost every other program concerning children , it’s all dependent on where you live, your purported income, ethnicity or how much you can complain. It’s pathetic how a small amount of hard-working parents have to cover the cost for many lazy or conniving others and all the reasons (excuses and rationalizations) appear to make it all acceptable.

Bob Blanchard

Newport Beach

Cage-free? More like egg-free

Re: “McDonald’s plans to use only cage-free eggs within decade” [Business, Sept. 9]: McDonald’s pledge to start using cage-free eggs is only a small step in preventing staggering suffering endured by millions of birds.

Hatcheries that annually supply 200 million female hens for U.S. egg production, including cage-free, also kill the same number of male chicks at birth by grinding them up alive in industrial macerators or suffocating them slowly in plastic garbage bags. The female laying hens endure a lifetime of misery, crammed with 5-6 others, in small wire-mesh cages that cut into their feet and tear out their feathers.

Eggs are common carriers of food-borne bacteria. USDA estimates that Salmonella alone accounts for 1.3 million U.S. illnesses and 500 deaths annually.

Eggs contain saturated fat and cholesterol, key factors in incidences of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. They are a common cause of allergies in children.

Waste from millions of egg-laying hens ends up in waterways, rendering vast areas unsuited for recreation or water supply.

The good news for compassionate, health-conscious, eco-friendly consumers is that our local supermarket offer a number of delicious egg substitutes and egg-free food products. Entering “egg-free” in a search engine returns tons of recipes.

Samuel Morris

Santa Ana

Cheney has no room to talk

Dick Cheney takes it to a new level as he promotes his new book. He criticizes the Obama policies in Iraq and Iran.

The same Cheney who along with other reactionary warmongers (mostly Vietnam draft dodgers) convinced Bush to invade Iraq. A decision that will go down as one of the biggest blunders in U.S. history.

As terrible as Saddam Hussein was, pre-invasion Iraq was a far more stable place devoid of an al-Qaida or ISIS presence. The invasion directly led to the creation of ISIS. The decision to invade because of WMDs that did not exist has had a terrible cost for us too – billions of dollars, thousands of soldiers killed and many more thousands suffering horrific injuries.

It’s sickening listening to reactionary media figures fawn over Cheney as if he was some kind of hero and ask his opinion on what should be done in the Middle East. It takes a lot of gall for Cheney to criticize Obama for his policy in Iraq. Maybe we should thank Cheney for creating ISIS.

Ed Pyle

Laguna Niguel