Don Doernberg

Penn Valley, Calif.

To the Editor:

Re “Mass Shootings Are Terrorism” (editorial, Aug. 5):

You’re right. If the perpetrators of this weekend’s mass shootings had been Islamist and/ or foreign terrorists, the United States government’s full resources would have been instantly, vigorously mobilized to counter them. No wasting time on “thoughts and prayers.”

So yet again this nation endures carnage, and yet again key political “leaders” will do essentially nothing. Can our increasingly dysfunctional democracy no longer protect us from within (never mind from without)?

Lunatics and socially deranged people exist in every country in the world. What makes America different from every other advanced country is that we allow easy access to guns. Let’s stop wasting time analyzing their motives, beliefs, warped childhoods, etc. It’s all irrelevant! We just need to stop them from getting their hands on mass-murder weapons. And most N.R.A. members support this, even if its leadership cannot.

Michael Northmore

Staten Island

To the Editor:

While some are trying to make a causal link between mass shootings and President Trump and his rhetoric, it’s too simplistic. Some cases are driven politically, but both sides are guilty of vitriolic speech. My political feelings are strong, but I’m not about to pick up a gun to kill anyone.

At the heart of these events are disturbed people who are easily provoked by their own demons and by what they hear. We need to lower the temperature of our political rhetoric and pursue all ways to keep guns out of the hands of the unstable, along with taking a hard look at the sale of firearms that clearly fall under the category of war weapons.

Phil Serpico

Kew Gardens, Queens

To the Editor:

Re “One Shooting Massacre Follows Another, Shaking a Bewildered Nation to Its Core” (front page, Aug. 5):

Bewildered? I don’t think so. That word implies that the nation doesn’t understand why these chilling, spirit-killing events are occurring. Had I been the headline writer, I would have chosen “horrified,” “outraged” or “furious” as more appropriate adjectives.

It’s not confusing or bewildering at all. This country has an obsession with guns, permits stunningly easy access to them, has a leader who spews hate and division all day long, and has a Congress that lacks the courage to do anything about any of these facts. These simple realities are obvious to anyone who cares to actually pay attention.