Some first steps to stop the killing
Letter to the EditorTaking responsibility to stop the killing

Some first steps to stop the killing

If people are so worried about saving the lives of our children, let's address a practice that kills more than any mass shooting: abortions.

(File photo)
(File photo)

In response to a recent d’var Torah, society has to take responsibility for the carnival of events that led to the killings in Florida (“We all must take responsibility,” March 1). This starts with the local sheriff and FBI, who dropped the ball on the tips about the shooter.

Additionally, that the shooter, who was mentally unstable, was able to legally purchase a firearm is unconscionable. Had he been handled through law enforcement, this may have been averted.

Let’s also look at why schools and malls are the favorite targets of mass shootings. Law-abiding citizens will not bring firearms to these places, but criminals will. Outlawing weapons will not help either.

Criminals will get them on the black market. If they cannot get them at all they have other weapons they can use.

But if you’re so worried about saving the lives of our children, let’s address a practice that kills more than any mass shooting. There were 652,639 abortions in the United States in 2014, according to the CDC.

Why are you not outraged at this statistic? We certainly can restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens to have guns; we can also ban the tools that kill more than 652,000 unborn children each year.

Judaism teaches us that our neshama belongs to us, and the vessel holding it belongs to Hashem. We are commanded not to alter it unless our life is in danger.

Andrew Neft
Squirrel Hill

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