Governor should veto proposed gun bill for its lack of concern for safe communities | Opinion
Bill makes bad law
S.C. House Bill 3594 is a dangerous bill that deregulates guns, and allows for more guns in more places. This raises the certainty of gun violence in our communities.
What good does this type of deregulation do, other than score the Republican Party political points with its extremist pro-gun base voter?
Gov. McMaster should veto the bill and encourage the legislature to craft bills that make our communities safer and more prosperous.
Lee Hugar, Columbia
Nice work, Nancy
I just received the latest disinformation email from our Congresswoman Nancy Mace.
She bragged about impeaching Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas “for high crimes and misdemeanors.” The only problem is she could not name a high crime or misdemeanor. There weren’t any.
She claims her spurious vote reflects her commitment to prioritizing the needs of the Lowcountry. What hogwash!
What the Lowcountry needs is a representative whot works for us.
She railed against illegal immigration, but she forgot to mention she opposed the best immigration bill she could have ever dreamed of. Donald said, “No,” so the continued smuggling of fentanyl and the associated deaths are now on her hands.
She and Mike Johnson have put the Lowcountry last by spinelessly rejecting a good immigration bill and then bragging about it.
Her choice was politics above her constituents.
Instead of staying in Washington to do the Lowcountry’s business, Nancy and Mike are on a two-week vacation. Nice work, Nancy! I’ll remember that in November.
Al Muench, Bluffton
Extend recess
Shooters are little boys who began being cooped up in school at 5 years of age. They are not allowed to play and run as they need to do. They are not allowed to nap.
Their brains do not repair themselves as they should. This makes them angry. The anger turns to resentment. They hate school. They hate being told to sit all day except for 10 minutes of recess time. (Recess is 20 minutes – 10 minutes for the restroom and 10 minutes to play.)
The little boy becomes mentally ill. The school is to blame.
For years, I have spoken about this with state Senators Luke Rankin and Greg Hembree, who both sit on the Senate Education Committee . They are responsible.
The solution: Give children an hour of outdoor play a day; shorten the day by one hour; give 5-year-olds the option of a nap.; give teachers control of the curricula. Allow them to use the skills they are trained to use.
You save lives, billions of dollars, and it does not cost you a dime.
Pat Milley, Conway
Change tobacco rules
As a health professional and cancer advocate, I was disheartened to see new data showing 2.8 million kids are current users of tobacco products.
We know tobacco causes cancer and is the top cause of preventable death in the U.S. In South Carolina, 31.7% of cancer deaths are attributable to smoking.
Most kids who use tobacco use flavored products. Menthol and flavors mask the harshness of tobacco and make it easier for people to start. Big Tobacco continues to use flavors to attract kids and then turn them into lifelong users of deadly products.
The White House has a major opportunity to put a stop to Big Tobacco’s deadly strategy by finalizing new rules to prevent tobacco companies from selling menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars.
This would be a major public health victory for the White House and could help reduce smoking for kids and adults.
Our lawmakers need to hear that this is an issue that people in their community care about. I hope you will join me in reaching out to Rep. Joe Wilson to urge him to voice support for the rules.
If we all speak up, we can help reduce pain and suffering from tobacco use.
Taquina Billups-Davis, PhD, Blythewood