Love-Hate Mail

Our gun laws aren't weak
Here's something I haven't seen anybody address: How on earth can Tennessee be considered a state with "weak" gun control laws? ("Weak Gun Laws = More Murder and Crime," Pith in the Wind, Dec. 23). A Tennessee resident who wants to buy a gun has to pass both the TBI background check as well as the national NICS background check before a dealer is permitted to sell them a gun.

Even a minor arrest is enough to kick out your TBI report, which then has to be appealed before your application goes to NICS. Most states only use the NICS check for approval of gun sales; few require two levels as does Tennessee.

As for the alleged "gun show loophole," it's a myth. I have never met a single federally licensed firearms dealer who would risk their license (and livelihood) by not performing the mandatory state and federal background checks before selling a gun, whether at a show or no.

Truth is, most crimes are committed by people that steal or buy stolen guns. They're criminals, and by their nature they commit crimes. All the gun laws in the world won't change that fact.

Rev. Keith A. Gordon

Karen Johnson stands up
This school board member is doing what she feels is right for all students. ("School Board Member Karen Johnson Says She's Under Pressure to Vote Based on Race," Pith in the Wind, Dec. 23) Adhering to some outside group's agenda does not necessarily serve the children, but it does seem to favor one group at the expense of another.

This political pressure has nothing to do with education, and everything to do with the destruction of the white race, its traditions, and its legacy. You can debate whether the white race is worth preserving, but I can tell you they do have the right of self-determination, and some blacks are ready to live and let live.

Joe Carmen

Don't kill our school board
We used to have an appointed school board. Was it any better? Nope. Have the mayor appoint the members? Recall the mayors of Nashville in the pre-Bredesen era.

Henry Walker

Titan fans are not lame
When I looked around the stadium Sunday, my first thought was not "shame about our lame fans" but rather "Woohoo! Think of all the sales tax these folks are generating!" ("Titans Fans are Lame, The Sequel," Pith in the Wind, Dec. 23)

An usher told me that she knew of groups of fans who had been at the Marriott downtown since Monday. There's nothing fair, in the cosmic scheme of things, about relatively prosperous Nashville taking large sums of money off of people from our country's decimated industrial Midwest. But that's what we just did, and maybe all those yellow towels represent one less painful budget cut in higher ed or healthcare.

I was in amid lots of the Steelers fans behind their bench, and they couldn't have been more pleasant. Wish we could invite 'em down five or six times a year.

Tom

This happens at every NFL stadium
Yes, the Steeler fans travel well, but I would guess that most of the yellow on Sunday came from people who live in this very region. The Steelers are one of those teams, like the Cowboys, who had so much success over the years that they have developed fan bases across the country.

Also, we are in a recession, people have lost their jobs, and Christmas was upon us. There are a certain percentage of wealthy people that this will not affect, and they will go to games regardless. But many season ticket holders are far from wealthy, and if you've lost your job and got a family to take care of, does it really make you "lame" to put your tickets on eBay so you can buy presents for your kids (or even put food on your table)?

BP