Letters to the Editor
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
‘Pataki Plan Ignites Debate’
I believe the whole idea of separation of church and state has been dramatically exploited by the Democratic Party [“Pataki School Plan Ignites a Debate Over Blaine Law,” Jacob Gershman, Page 1, January 19, 2006].
Doesn’t our constitution also call for freedom of religion? How does a country like the United States and state like New York, claim freedom of religion when they pass laws like the Blaine Amendment that were obvious attempts to prevent it?
If I’m a parent of a child and cannot afford to exercise my right of freedom of religion to send my child to Catholic school because my money, in the form of taxes, is being diverted to the public school system, how is that not discrimination?
By forcing me to pay for a public school seat, the state is clearly restricting my right to send my child to private school.
Freedom of religion for whom? I ask.
NICHOLAS J.VERTUCCI
Treasurer
New York Young Republican Club
Manhattan
‘Silver and Gun Control’
In “Silver Ramps Up His Call to Enact Sweeping Gun-Control Legislation,” Russell Berman reported: “‘Explain to me how we can care enough to provide our police officers with bullet-proof vests, while being careless enough to allow the legal sale of armor-piercing bullets,’ Mr. Silver said.” [New York, January 13, 2006]
The bill targeting “cop-killer” ammunition would ban bullets designed to fragment or explode upon impact.
However, vests are bullet resistant, not “bullet-proof.” There is no legally available handgun ammunition that will penetrate them. And “cop-killer” bullets are a myth of the gun control lobby.
Frangible ammunition contains no explosive: It disintegrates on contact. This is a safety feature. It will not pass through criminals, windows or walls and harm a bystander.
That gun control prevents crime is false. Vermont, a state where anyone can carry a handgun concealed, had seven, yes, seven homicides in 2005. Two were hunting accidents and an other one was a body recovered from an incident a few years ago. So, the whole state had four real murders in 2005.
Forget about the bewitched guns that only commit crimes in New York, and magical “copkiller” bullets. It’s time to actually do something about violent crime. Doing something is not getting guns off the street; it’s getting criminals off the street.
JACK ANDERSON
Newbury, Vt.
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