In the Feb 15. issue of the Daily Forty-Niner, the Our View, titled “Killings example of gun control issue,” caused enormous controversy and many letters of outrage from people all across the country who read it on our Web site.
Many of the scathing letters remarked that the author knew nothing about guns or gun control, so he or she shouldn’t write about it. The author never claimed to know anything about guns and was only expressing his or her opinion, as it is an editorial piece, which some people don’t seem to understand (“…this one-sided view is inappropriate. Perhaps the writer/s needs to learn some balance”).
Many people also felt that the author wanted guns to be banned altogether, which is completely false. (“By suggesting a weapon ban you are only helping the criminal succeed.”) The author simply stated that society on a whole could benefit if there were stricter rules and better background checks when guns are bought. One letter even associated the author with a murderer, stating that “…you are as bad as the criminals who would do my family harm,” which we found offensive.
It’s wonderful that so many people read the Our View and think about it critically. We encourage that. But next time you write to us, please get your facts right and realize that personal jabs are unnecessary and only further contribute to unintelligent conversation about serious issues. Thank you.
– Daily Forty-Niner staff
