Readers Write: Guns, the future of energy, political whiplash

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Writer John Zwier would have been better served if he had read John Davey’s piece “Why learn about firearms?” (Strib Voices, Nov. 18) before submitting his inane commentary, “All firearms out in public should have visible trigger locks” (Strib Voices, Nov. 18). First, firearms don’t have rights; we the people have rights, specifically that right under the U.S. Constitution — a fact an assistant Minnesota attorney general should be aware of. Second, what firearms in public do you ever see with the trigger visible? Pistols are typically holstered when carried, and even open carry in a holster covers the trigger. Are hunters with a rifle on state land rapidly unlocking the trigger guard when a deer appears? Finally, his argument that this rule would buy time for law enforcement is asinine: Someone looking to perpetrate violence is not going to worry about legally locking their firearm before approaching the scene of the crime. Zwier, please reach out to any responsible gun owner and talk to them just once — you’ll be better educated for your career and for life.

Gary Myers, Carver

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Reports of gun violence and mass shootings have flooded Minnesota news in recent months. The tragedies at Annunciation Church, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and one of Minneapolis’ homeless encampments have led to a renewed wave of support for gun regulation, leading to St. Paul’s ban on assault weapons on Nov. 12. Although the ordinance is currently unenforceable, I hope for future change at the state level.

As a prospective social worker and current master’s of social work student, I would like to draw attention to the role of social work in the prevention of mass acts of violence and in the healing process following these tragedies. Social workers are among the first responders to emergencies such as these, providing immediate support to witnesses and survivors. Following traumatic events, social work practitioners continue to provide counseling to victims, families and communities impacted by acts of mass violence.

Molly Redmond, Plymouth

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Regarding guns, may we migrate from the barren landscape of vacuous slogans and enter the lush forest of real conversation. May we truly listen to the fears of our brothers and sisters, instead of mentally reloading while they opine. And may we courageously engage in a little less conversation and a lot more action!

Justin Vorbach, Marshall, Minn.

A recent article from the Associated Press republished by the Star Tribune (“Demand for electricity to outpace energy growth,” Nov. 13) details the challenges facing the world in global energy production, and the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) forecasts regarding the future. While the IEA does recognize global challenges, its prediction for a 2030 peak of oil and gas demands is far too optimistic given the current political environment, and assumptions that they make about available technologies. Acknowledged in their report is the increasing expansion of energy needs to less developed countries, some without electricity. While expanding access is a good thing, lack of investment means oil and gas remain cheap, and thus attractive options for developing nations. In addition, political pressure from developed countries is forcing a timeline change. According to the New York Times, pressure from the Trump administration has forced the IEA to release a “current policies” scenario. This shows that, far from capping demand around 2030, the current trajectory would see ever-increasing demand, a less-than-optimistic thought.

Benjamin Ryan, St. Peter

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Culturally I see passivity as we wait for governments and utilities to provide more sustainable options for energy. As community-minded individuals, I encourage us to actively reduce energy consumption — not just change the source, say from fossil fuels to electric. Whether it’s to promote responsibility with the world’s precious metals or sustainability in our grid capacity, or reduce radioactive waste, or decrease pollution of all kinds, I urge us to work as a community to attend to the “reduce” element in the mantra of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Anything that you can do with your body, instead of using external power, is better for our immediate personal health and the long-term environmental health. If inconvenience tempts us to delay changing, consider how inconvenient it will be for our children and grandchildren to not be able to safely breathe the air or drink the water.

Many ways to reduce energy consumption can be found by critically examining habits. Turn off the car if you aren’t driving. Dress for the weather. Don’t give that able-bodied child an e-bike. Instead of blowing those leaves, skip your gym workout and rake. Walk or bike for local errands or trips. Hang out your laundry to dry. The list goes on. What works for one may not work for all, but please, let’s each try to find ways to reduce.

Marynia Wronski, Minneapolis

Ideology can only drag us so far until it meets cold, hard reality. Compromise and seeing things from another perspective is not weakness; it’s operating as a functional adult. It’s not about right and wrong or about being “nice” but instead about what works and what doesn’t. Clearly, our current winner-take-all approach is not working!