To those who believe that "gun violence will catch up with us all," if you want to worry about our lives on a roulette wheel, check out NASA's article on the "Near Miss: The Solar Superstorm of July 2012". If the storm had hit a week earlier, we would have been hit. "Analysts believe that a direct hit by an extreme CME such as the one that missed Earth in July 2012 could cause widespread power blackouts, disabling everything that plugs into a wall socket." (The CME takes a day or two to pass.) Along that same type of effect, according to a 2008 report by the U S government's EMP Commission,

"Should the electrical power system be lost for any substantial period of time the consequences are likely to be catastrophic to society, including potential casualties in excess of 60% of the population, according to the Chairman of the EMP Commission."

(EMPs come from two sources: the sun; nuclear weapons) Deaths would result from disease, starvation, and criminal activity - no 9-1-1, no gasoline for police, and no electricity for dispatch.

Then there is the October 12, 2017; STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD TO U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY. Within the report: "- - Just six months ago, most experts thought North Korea's ICBMs were fake, or if real, could not strike the U.S. mainland. Now the intelligence community reportedly estimates that North Korea's ICBMs can strike Denver and Chicago, and perhaps the entire United States."

Yes, the Texas, then Ohio mass shootings were gut wrenching. Yes, they stirred familiar feelings of growing frustration. (Good people with caring empathy are strongly affected. Decisions made emotionally are most often wrong.) Yes, there is no defense possible for the home grown terrorists who commit mass murder. But, it is not going to "catch up with us all". I saw the first positive signs of officials doing a better job in these situations: Law enforcement officials would not speak the names of the murderers. Law enforcement officials would not show their photos. Eventually, the TV networks will catch on and they too will stop giving murderous thugs the publicity that they crave. Maybe they will soon be able to temper their macabre glee in the outrageous quest to disarm law abiding Americans. Maybe they will see the error of promoting celebrity for the glory seeking miscreants. (Did you notice the word 'copycat' applied to the three dregs who were recently foiled by law enforcement in three unrelated schemes?) Why is the media so stuck on 'alleged' when speaking about someone either caught or killed in the act? I'm sure that many could make a case for continuous public ridicule as a method of deterrence.

Freedom and liberty: Everybody in the world is born with free will and they have the freedom to exercise it. Liberty is what the government will allow people to freely do without punishment. (These words are commonly used interchangeably - - if they were not different . . . ?) We celebrate freedom but, the Pledge of Allegiance calls for "liberty for all". As I said in an earlier letter, "This freedom and liberty thing is troublesome." It requires careful balancing by legislative rules and procedures.

I am one of the citizens who 'hires' the NRA to defend (lobby) the Constitution through my membership. I (and millions of others) take offense when politicians blame the NRA for mass shootings. If the Second Amendment (2 A) is wrong, then follow the rules to ammend it by ratification with 3/4 of the states! Progressives know that is a fool's errand so they seek to destroy our Liberty instead of taking the right way to make changes.