Guns provide safety, I won’t give that up

In response to “US gun laws are archaic at this point” (March 28 Forum):

The Second Amendment was not put in the Bill of Rights to protect the people’s right to hunt.

It was put there to guarantee the peoples’ ability to defend themselves against a government seeking to strip their rights from them and to abuse its power.

The Forum writer is free to surrender any of his rights he would like to, but I would rather he leave mine alone.

The violent crime rate proves we are not a civilized society. I am glad that the Forum writer feels safe, but I don’t. Nor am I prepared to surrender my safety to a government that can’t even stop speeding.

Kenneth Kyzer, Charlotte

Sheriff is helping short-staffed CMPD

In response to “CMPD working to keep enough police on the street during retirement ‘exodus’ ” (March 24):

So the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is short-staffed by about 10 percent. Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden is stepping up traffic enforcement and other duties.

Seems we should be encouraging the sheriff, not criticizing him.

James Voit, Charlotte

I see no reason for Schiff to resign

In response to “Republicans use the Mueller report to target Rep. Adam Schiff” (March 28):

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has done a fine job, instead of being toady for the president. Schiff is actually doing the important job of congressional oversight of the executive branch.

Those 37 indictments and six guilty pleas by Trump associates are real.

The U.S. public needs to see 300-plus pages of the Mueller report, not a sanitized “Barr Notes” version.

Trump has told a record 9,000-plus lies since taking office. These lies include information about his relationship with Russia. If anyone should resign, it’s the GOP leaders enabling this dereliction of duty by not defending the U.S. and its intelligence agencies against someone like Putin.

Chip Potts, Mooresville

Pounding like Trump took must stop

In response to “AG: Mueller finds no coordination with Russia” (March 25):

Robert Mueller and his lawyers attacked our president like chickens chasing Junebugs. The daily pounding of Donald Trump for the past two years is more than most folks could handle, and good people just don’t want to run for office anymore. The witch hunting and attacking innocent people needs to stop.

Jim Cherry, Charlotte

Trump’s rhetoric, cursing is offensive

If someone wrote a letter to the editor using the language used Thursday by Donald Trump at his Michigan rally, would this newspaper print it?

Would the Observer permit the writer to use curse words, disparage individuals, and spew one lie after another in a letter or op-ed?

Why aren’t the same language and tactics used in the pulpits of our churches every Sunday morning, where much of Trump’s support lies?

If his words and rhetoric are so right, and what people believe the U.S. needs and wants to hear, why not permit us all to use them whenever we feel like it?

The answer to all these questions is, such language and rhetoric is unacceptable in the public sphere. Shouldn’t our president be held to the same standard to which we hold our neighbors?

Mary Englebert, Statesville

Don’t blame Silent Sam supporters

In response to “UNC faculty, students tell chancellor that police are too cozy with protesters” (March 29):

Some faculty and students at UNC Chapel Hill say police charged them with misconduct while aiding the Silent Sam supporters.

They say police are sympathetic to statue supporters. This is simply not true.

I am an honors alumnus of UNC-CH and was there when a mob tore the statue down. They are violent! Quit fueling their violence with these stories.

Lisa Carol Rudisill, Charlotte

Quite a display of chutzpah from Miller

In response to Desiree Zapata Miller’s op-ed “More Democratic shenanigans in the 9th,” (March 23), I would like to say that it takes a load of chutzpah, audacity, nerve, gall –call it what you will – to accuse the Democrats of trying to affect the outcome of the electoral process in the 9th District after the Republicans have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar and crumbs all over their faces, which has led to a new election.

Have you no shame?

C.G. Kilburn, Monroe