The message of the Brooklyn Bridge march

"NOT ONE MORE" was the rallying cry as more than 1,000 of us marched across the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, June 14. Newtowners joined survivors, families of victims, and activists from 22 states.

We came together to send a clear message to the NRA and its political cronies that we are not going away until our families and communities are safe from gun violence.

The march was organized and sponsored by Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America and Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

When the media asked us what we wanted to accomplish, responses included:

Mandatory background checks for all firearms purchases.

Close loopholes and stop trafficking of illegal guns.

Limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Stricter negligence penalties for those who don't store their firearms safely.

Limits on open and concealed carry in public places.

Stronger laws for keeping firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers.

Monies for research and mental health interventions.

Permission for physicians to discuss gun safety with their patients.

As more than 150 grassroots groups with 18 million supporters join with Everytown For Gun Safety, we are becoming a formidable political movement. One goal is to register a million voters before the 2014 election who are committed to voting for candidates who support stronger gun laws at state and national levels.

The NRA ridiculed Moms Demand Action when Shannon Watts started the group shortly after the Sandy Hook massacre. There are now chapters in every state.

What businesses are learning is that women make 80 percent of the purchasing decisions, and that economic boycotts work. Just ask Starbucks, Chipotle, Jack in the Box, Chili's and Sonic, which do not allow guns openly carried in their establishments.

Target, Staples, Hallmark and Home Depot are on the boycott list for permitting open carry in their stores.

Join us and send a clear message that the "Connecticut Effect" is here to stay!

Gail Lehmann

Mark Lehmann

Ridgefield

Roundabouts could help traffic

Art Cummings' column on traffic congestion (The News-Times, May 25) should have touched some raw nerves -- and brought back some memories.

Nearly 20 years ago, the Route 7 Technical Advisory Committee (7-Tac), appointed by then-Mayor Art Peitler, worked with the state Department of Transportation to make Route 7 look the way the town wanted it, rather than a standard state plan.

One thing we recommended was a northern crossing, using the existing Boardman Bridge. Our plan was simple. Use the bridge, so we would not have to get into the whole exercise of environmental studies for a new crossing. Then create a two-lane road over the hill, connecting with Van Car Road.

Two things stood in the way. For a start, the state's mandate to renew Route 7 ended just north of Veterans Bridge, so they could not make decisions. In informal discussions with state officials, however, this mindset became apparent: Our plan was too simple. The state said they could not create this road because it would not meet federal standards for a 40 mph road.

We argued that we just needed a crossing to relieve some traffic north of town, but the state insisted we had to create a major highway.

Now, traffic has gotten worse. Maybe the state should have listened.

On the bright side, with the announcement of plans to replace the four-way stop on Still River Drive with a roundabout, maybe the state will consider roundabouts at the intersections of Bridge Street at Youngs Field Road, at Railroad Street and, most importantly, at the intersection of Routes 7 and 67 and again at Route 67 and East Street. All of these would ease congestion.

Roundabouts work well in Europe -- from the painted dots in rural England to huge 60 mph roundabouts throughout the Continent. Even rural Vermont recently installed roundabouts on Route 15.

Maybe it's time Connecticut caught up with the rest of the world.

Gerard J. Monaghan

New Milford