Readers Write: What to do about guns

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

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Like all of us in Minnesota, I am reeling from the deadly shooting at Annunciation School and Church. The grief and fear follow me into daily life — especially when I hug my kids at the bus stop each morning in Minneapolis. Then, as I turn to my work as a community-based psychiatrist, I find myself thinking not only about the beautiful lives lost but also about the fragile systems we rely on to prevent such tragedies.

The Star Tribune article describing a gun shop owner’s reflection after the mass murder highlights something deeply unsettling: The “vetting” of firearm purchasers is being carried out by retail employees whose training, by their own account, amounts to trusting gut feelings and the “vibe” (“Footage shows Westman at gun shop,” Sept. 9). That is not a system. That is wishful thinking.

In psychiatry, even trained professionals cannot reliably predict who will go on to harm themselves or others. Those with the strongest intent often work hard to conceal it. But we don’t just look at someone’s demeanor casually — we ask. “Are you thinking of killing yourself? Are you thinking killing other people?” It’s not perfect, but it gives a person the opportunity to disclose and it allows us to observe their response in a structured way.

By contrast, whatever training gun shop employees receive does not appear to include standardized, evidence-based methods. In public health, we already have models like CALM (“Counseling on Access to Lethal Means”) and QPR (“Question, Persuade, Refer”), which teach people how to ask directly, recognize risk and connect individuals to help. If we are depending on retail clerks to act as gatekeepers to lethal means, why wouldn’t we require this level of training? Selling firearms without rigorous preparation is like handing out prescription opioids without training physicians to recognize misuse or overdose risk. And in fact, some argue that is exactly what happened, fueling the overdose crisis. In both cases, lives hang in the balance — and gut feelings are not good enough.

The reality is that we are asking retail employees to serve as the last line of defense against gun violence — a role that is both unfair to them and profoundly inadequate for the rest of us. If this is the system we are relying on, then it must be backed by real, evidence-based training and structured point-of-sale interviews, not just a “vibe.” Lives depend on it.

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To the courageous students protesting gun violence: Your walkouts are admirable and show true courage when so many adults fail to do so (“Students stage walkouts, principal appeals to Vance,” Sept. 6). But the hard truth is, no matter how many signs you carry, laws won’t change until parents change their votes.

Start at home. If your parents are voting Republican, that’s where your protest must begin. Republicans are the ones blocking commonsense gun reforms and siding with the gun lobby instead of protecting kids.

Marching in the streets is powerful. But looking your parents in the eye and saying, “Stop voting Republican if you want me safe at school,” could be even more powerful.

You deserve more than thoughts and prayers. You deserve parents who vote to protect you.

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The Sept. 10 letter on gun control “Calling the GOP’s bluff on mental health” mentions two effects of a society overrun with semiautomatic weapons having 20- or 30-round magazines: the cost of repairing damage caused by the weapons and the cost of the “arms race” between police and criminals. Both are crucial elements in the debate.

Steve Mayer, Minneapolis

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I was struck by Zach Lindstrom’s thoughtful and insightful commentary in Tuesday’s paper, “I’m a hunter, gun owner, and I’m now wondering if guns are part of the problem.” His words about talking to his son about his experiences during active-shooter drills in school resonated strongly with me. Five years ago, while I was volunteering at our local school, the school happened to be practicing one of these drills. As a visitor in the building, I was pulled into the nearest classroom and huddled in the dark, in the corner with third-graders and their teacher, being cautioned not to make a sound.

Mary Severson, Eagan

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If our children and educators are to continue being pawns and cannon fodder in our gun culture war, let’s do what the military does: Award the Purple Heart to those wounded and the Gold Star to the families of those killed. Yes, financial compensation and lifetime benefits paid for by the U.S. government.

We already have the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a civilian version of the Medal of Honor. Likewise we can create civilian versions of the Purple Heart and Gold Star.

Of course, this won’t heal or bring back our loved ones, but it will assign some financial responsibility to the institution responsible for our runaway gun violence, the U.S. government, and perhaps provide motivation to stop the killing of our schoolchildren and educators.

The writer is a U.S. Air Force veteran.

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I use my Face ID to board an airplane. If I push my cart out the wrong door at a big box store, an alarm goes off and the carts wheels stop moving. My phone helps me to find my wallet. With all the amazing technology and security, are gun manufacturers really telling us there is no way to make guns safer? I am picturing some kind of embedded tiny wire that will go off if it gets close to a church or school. I call on our leaders to convene a Manhattan Project of sorts to find some solution to this issue. Include the gun manufacturers and pro-gun lobby in the conversation. It’s the least they could do.

Christopher Dunne, Minneapolis

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We must make up our minds, I believe. Not as to whether we belong to one party or another, but what we see as the solution, Do we seek retribution? Or do we seek healing for our broken society? Do we want the other side to suffer? Or do we want to build a society where compassion and understanding is the chosen path to health and well-being? Do we refuse to make any laws so we can hold onto our own almighty beliefs? Or do we go forward with commonsense legislation that both upholds our personal freedoms and protects the greater society?

Seems to me, we have our work cut out for us.