Fresno Bee letters: Gun rights, DACA recipients and 1776 values

Gun rights and personal freedoms

To all those who believe that the Second Amendment is the key to our freedoms: 1. Do not send your children to school; that is too dangerous in a free society. 2. Do not go shopping, whether at a market or at a mall; that is too dangerous in a free society. 3. Do not attend a church; that is too dangerous in a free society. 4. Do not be a spectator at a parade; that is too dangerous in a free society.

So stay at home, do not go out, load your guns, and enjoy your freedoms.

Bring back those 1776 values

Now that leaders of the Proud Boys have been indicted for their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurgency at our nation’s Capitol, I am interested in hearing their defense. Previously, a member claimed that all they were doing was standing up for the values of our country’s founding fathers. Sounded good, until I realized what it meant.

In 1776, for most everywhere in the colonies, those values included the following:

1. Anyone could vote or run for office, so long as they were a white male property owner;

2. Most women could do whatever they wanted: they simply needed the permission of their father or husband; and,

3. Slavery was legal and enforceable.

Young reader writes about guns

I am going into eighth grade and am writing on why it’s so important that we have more gun control laws in America.

As a student at Fresno Unified, I have spent all of my years of elementary and middle school learning and conducting active shooter drills. America should have better gun laws so that kids can be kids and not have to worry so much.

I understand that with our Constitution, it’s not likely that guns would ever not be sold, but there are so many things that could be done to simply make sure kids are safe while at school. Anyone who wants to buy a gun should be required to register every year, pass a background check and carry insurance that would hold them liable for the damages that gun may cause.

As a student I am at risk all the time because America won’t put simple laws in place to protect me and my friends.

DACA recipients desire firm future

For the last decade, DACA recipients have devotedly submitted our $495 fee and application material for the opportunity of temporary relief. For the approximately 800,000 beneficiaries like myself, we have tried our best to build a life in two-year increments, knowing at any moment the protection from deportation and work permit granted by the program could again be threatened.

Never has the urgency been greater for a permanent solution.

DACA has given me the opportunity to obtain my degree, support my family and community and be able to live as close to a “normal” American life. This year we may see the control of one or both chambers of Congress shift. We may not have another anniversary, hanging over us looms action; I ask our congressional leadership to make it bold.

This story was originally published July 24, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno Bee letters: Gun rights, DACA recipients and 1776 values."