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The Tuesday Star Tribune editorial “Gun laws in light of Burnsville’s tragedy” totally missed the mark. Instead of calling for yet more gun control laws, the Editorial Board should be calling for a thorough investigation on why the laws we already have did not keep guns out of the hands of the person who killed the officers and paramedic/firefighter.
Steve Bjelke, New Brighton
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In the editorial on gun laws it was noted that the shooter did not have the right to own a gun, but he had several. The answer was given that the solution for someone who ignores laws is to pass more laws for them to ignore. How about enforcing the laws we have? People are rarely prosecuted for straw purchases and other lies on gun applications, and gun charges are dropped in plea deals.
David Newville, Coon Rapids
POLICING
O’Hara lays out the challenge
In his Feb. 25 opinion piece “Do we expect too much from police officers?” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara does an excellent job of summarizing the expectations we have for police officers amid the ever-present dangers of so many people having guns and being willing to use them to address anything they see as a threat or even a minor inconvenience. (When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.) O’Hara is an excellent communicator, clearly defining the problems police face and asking us to be patient with the reforms in progress in the department after the upset that Derek Chauvin and the other officers caused by their role in killing George Floyd, and the disproportionate backlash against the police in general — probably the most destructive and expensive mess in the city’s history, which we will be dealing with for years to come.