LISTENING to Mr Donald J Trump address the National Rifle Association (NRA) was depressing. His answer is “arm the teachers”.
Some states in the USA have already done what the NRA has suggested, by casting a “ring of steel” around schools where armed guards protect and ward off gun-toting individuals. Armed guards with body armour searching school bags, with kids using clear plastic backpacks to negate the requirement of rummaging through the contents.
READ MORE: Michael Russell: Why is it only the US that tolerates mass shootings?
I listened to a representative from Democrats Abroad, who destroyed the frequently quoted enshrinement of the US constitution. She explained that when the Second Amendment was written, the right to bear arms was as part of a militia, to defend themselves against an autocratic US government. The gun was a musket with an average reloading time of 15 seconds, while skilled militia could do it in five to eight seconds.
Modern semi-automatic rifles can fire 80 to 120 rounds per minute which relates to a 0.5 seconds reload time, and a new magazine can be installed in one to three seconds with another 30 rounds.
READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: US is a sick country which refuses to trust the obvious cure
So is the Second Amendment still valid and appropriate for 2022? Is it correct that AK-47 or M16 assault rifles be permitted to be driven around in pick-up trucks or in the trunks of cars, by any individual? Shouldn’t the public be registered to be part of a militia in order to be permitted to bear arms as the constitution states?
Trump blows smoke from his gun into the debate again...
Alistair Ballantyne
Birkhill, Angus
BORIS Johnson has said people fleeing torture and war could be flown out of the UK to Rwanda in a matter of weeks. But the government is relying on one of a few small airlines to remove people – and after public campaigns, all the major airlines have refused to take part. By coming together in our thousands, we can show these companies that taking part would be a disaster for PR and profits.
Today let’s make sure people across the UK start to see what these airlines are up to – and that these companies feel the heat. 50 people have been sent letters to say they will be relocated to Rwanda and given only seven days to explain why they shouldn’t be removed, so we haven’t got any time to lose.
READ MORE: Is Johnson on the cusp of a no-confidence vote? More Tory MPs call for him to go
To be a refugee is not a choice. But these airlines have a choice. It’s up to them whether they profit from the pain of torture survivors – or take a stand for refugees instead. People all over this country don’t agree with the government’s cruel new plan to send refugees to Rwanda.
Now it’s time we let these companies know that. Put simply, if all of these airlines refuse to fly, Priti Patel’s Rwanda plan will fail. Are you ready to make sure of that? See how the airlines involved squirm as they are contacted by Freedom From Torture, and join the campaign.
B McKenna
Dumbarton
I RECENTLY noted in the press that the UK Government was declining to extradite Rwanda suspects alleged to have been participants or leaders in the genocide perpetrated there two decades ago, presumably due to concerns around judicial fairness, due process and punishment.
This contrasts with the way Julian Assange has been hounded by falsely pursued international warrants, incarcerated in Belmarsh prison and awaiting extradition to the USA, which has a despicable record of inhumane treatment of those who land inside their penal system.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson 'failed to improve standards' with new ministerial code, says think tank
This strongly suggests that Assange’s crime is for journalism which big-state players wish to avenge. It is more double standards from the “West” who rightly condemn suppression of journalism in Russia but who apply different standards when the spotlight is on them.
Events in Ukraine and the way the UK is cavalier on human rights at home demonstrate that we need more free courageous men like Assange, rather than persecuting him or others. Biden, sadly, fails in his duty to the “free world” for not abandoning the Assange persecution, while the Home Office’s Rwandan policy is both cruel and uncivilised.
Alasdair Nicholson
Isle of Lewis
A NUMBER of publications recently highlight that the UK Government was looking to bring back crown symbols on pint glasses after the EU had removed them.
A great story, with the UK “taking back control” from blundering Brussels bureaucrats who had initially stolen the symbol away, but yet another Euro-myth.
The crown stamp has been used on pint glasses for more than 300 years to show that they are large enough to hold a full pint. An EU directive of 2006 required the use of an EU-wide “CE” mark which stands for Conformité Européenne – French for “European Conformity”.
CE appears on many other products, from toys to medical devices, and it shows that they meet the EU’s safety, health and environmental rules. However, EU rules did not stop the UK from having the crown stamp on glasses.
As we have become accustomed to when it comes to the UK and its relationship with the EU, the truth often proves to be a sad casualty.
Alex Orr
Edinburgh
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here