Letters: Liberal hate speech incites violence | Open carry is intimidating | Guns are the problem

Hate speech from the left incites violence

Orlando Sentinel sports columnist Mike Bianchi recently asked, “Why do we keep murdering each other?”

America has turned its back on God. That’s the first problem.

Secondly, I believe a radical liberalism has engulfed the Democratic Party that includes defending illegal immigrants as a group, even though some of them have committed violent crimes, including rape and murder.

Some Democrats have called the murder of God’s unborn children “freedom of choice.” I strongly believe there is a correlation between abortion and the devaluation of human life at all ages.

Some Democrats mock traditional marriage and refuse to acknowledge that boys need their father’s love, guidance and discipline. The media needs to do a much better job reporting the link between young men who commit murder and being raised without a father.

I believe the correlation between Kirk’s murder and the assassination attempts against President Donald Trump can be attributed to hateful rhetoric from the left. Some Democrats have often called Trump a racist, a fascist, compared him to Hitler and regularly claimed he is a threat to democracy. In my judgment, that kind of hate speech can incite violence. I believe Charlie Kirk’s well-known conservative values, including his strong Christian faith, contributed to his death.

A recent YouGov poll showed 25% of those who consider themselves “very liberal” believe some level of violence is justified to achieve political goals. That is why all over America we have seen a number of people, including those in prominent professions, celebrating Kirk’s death. Because so many in the Democratic Party support violence to achieve a political outcome, I believe, we can expect more violence in the future.

As I see it, the Democrats have become the party of evil.

Jimmy Conner Tavares

Open carry of firearms can be intimidating

Now anyone can carry a firearm openly in Florida (“Uthmeier says open carry is now ‘law of the state,’” Sept. 14). Attorney General James Uthmeier has said this does not allow individuals to menace others with a firearm. I own firearms and have a carry permit, but I still would feel uneasy around someone carrying openly since I can’t know why they felt the need to show their weapon openly.

They may not think anything of it, but I worry someone may be trying to make a statement like “look at me, a big bad dude.” Nothing prohibits that person from concealed carry, but openly displaying the weapon could easily add some unnecessary swagger that could lead to tragedy.

Gary Ulmer Oviedo

Hortman, Kirk slayings have guns in common

In June of this year, a member of the Minnesota legislature was killed along with her husband and two other legislators were wounded by a man who reportedly had a hit list of Democrats he wanted to kill. There was little outcry from the nation that the rhetoric needed to be toned down.

Now a right-wing commentator, Charlie Kirk, has been killed and the outcry that the “left” has got to stop with the negative rhetoric is being amplified.

Both of these instances are the results of runaway gun violence in this country. Can we use this moment, when a young man is cut down in the prime of his life for his political philosophy, to finally do something about gun violence? Will the members of Congress on both sides of the aisle please come together and enact some legislation that will help to reduce this out-of-control situation with guns?

There are too many guns in the hands of those who obtain and use them illegally, use them recklessly or use them for revenge or road rage. These acts of violence happen because it is too easy to get a gun in this country.  The idea that every person — man, woman and child — needs to have a gun is ludicrous. This is not what the founding fathers of this country envisioned.

Val Mobley Orlando

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