Gary E. Berube, Mandan, N.D., Published September 21 2013
Letter: Inanimate object can’t kill anyoneOur prayers go to the victims of yet another violent act by a deranged killer. Twelve human beings lost their lives because they just happened to be in front of a crazed being at the wrong time.
Once again the uninformed, low information citizen with a total lack of common sense is blaming an inanimate object for committing murders. Rather than trying to identify the real problem, guns are again being blamed for committing crimes. A piece of cold hard steel cannot commit a crime. No more than a fork can make you fat, a car can kill you, a knife can stab you, a bat or a hammer can bludgeon you or a rope can hang you. None of these things can happen without the assistance of a human being. It takes a deranged individual to commit a crime regardless what his or her choice of weapon is. Thank God he did not use a bomb, nerve gas, an airborne toxin, poison or something flammable.
We will never be able to totally eliminate crazy actions by crazy people any more than we can accurately predict or prevent natural disasters.
We may be able to minimize the crimes if we focus on the real problem, which is the troubled individual, and provide him or her with the help that is needed.