I have been reading all the letters and articles appearing in The Journal Gazette and on the national TV stations and have come to the conclusion that so many people are either dumb or stupid.

I’m 73 years old, and I remember my great grandfather teaching me that dumb meant not knowing better and doing something while stupid meant knowing better and still doing it.

I’ll let you be the judge of them for yourself as I already have made my decisions on them.

I was raised around guns, and I’m a certified Indiana hunter safety instructor. I own several and I have never seen one jump up and shoot somebody.

I have read everything from more useless gun-control laws and an asinine proposal of a 100 percent tax on guns, ammunition and accessories, putting more burdens on honest citizens. But not one letter or article proposed expanding the crime control laws and punishment for criminals. Seems to me they’re missing the problem.

We need to expand the laws and increase the punishment for the criminal element.

The criminal is not going to obey the laws like honest citizens do; that’s already been proven. Look at New York state and city, Chicago and the area around it, Detroit, Massachusetts, and many more areas that have very strict gun-control laws that disarm the citizens.

Now compare them with the states and areas that have laws where citizens can carry guns and you see the drastic difference in deaths and crimes committed with guns.

In my opinion we should have a national concealed-carry permit that’s good everywhere in the USA along with mandatory gun-handling training.

The liberal media and government won’t put these facts and figures out to the public because it defeats their agenda for gun control and disarming the public.

We need to require that the federal government agencies that do the background checks do their job correctly and with efficiency.

It saddens me about the kids getting shot all around this country, but the problem is a people problem and not a gun problem. Our governments (federal, state, city and county) need to recognize this and do something about it. Until then it will sadly continue to happen.

Our society has gotten so messed up with being politically correct and not offending people it’s scary.

Simply put, the United States of America needs to wake up and use common sense in dealing with this problem.

MICHAEL G. RADKE

Columbia City