On guns, we can do more than harden our hearts and our venues

No safe spaces

In the wake of repeated and perennial mass shootings, here’s an updated list of places that need to be hardened: July Fourth parades and other festivals; elementary schools; subways and other mass transit; grocery stores; churches, synagogues, and other places of worship; colleges and universities; concerts; movie theaters; offices and places of business; post offices; courts; military installations; restaurants and shopping malls; hearts.

Alternatively, access to military-grade weapons of war could be well-regulated and reasonably restricted.

Chris Cox, Raleigh

Gun worship

The Second Amendment has become idolatry — the worship of gun ownership at the expense of the lives of children and adults.

The right to bear arms was never intended to be a right for all citizens; it was intended for a “militia,” an army of officers who protect the community from violence.

We are now awash in guns, especially AR-15 semi-automatic military-style rifles like those used in the massacres at Buffalo, Uvalde, and now Highland Park.

When will our politicians stop practicing idol worship and revise the Second Amendment for present-day usage? Its intention was clear — for a militia, not for the right of individuals to commit mass murder.

This madness must stop!

Rev. Mel Williams, Durham

Triangle housing

I work in downtown Durham where I see a great many new apartment buildings being constructed. There is a need for housing, so I don’t begrudge it, per se.

However, nearly all of it caters to the most affluent, pushing the less affluent out and generally inflating rental rates for all apartments.

In our market-driven system there is demand and need for all levels of housing. Local government, aided by planning experts from our fine universities and businesses, should direct construction of more of what I call CHESS housing: Community Housing that’s Economical, Solid and Sustainable.

That would ease the divisions across the income spectrum and advance the character of Durham and RTP as a center of innovation, now and through the decades ahead.

Ed Levin, Chapel Hill

NC GOP strategy

Regarding “Despite a big surplus, GOP offers a timid state budget,” (June 30 Opinion):

So, Republicans in the N.C. House have voted to study the idea of Medicaid expansion. This appears to be a sick joke. An actual vote on expansion will not occur until after the fall election. The GOP strategy seems to be to entice voters to support them in the fall elections, while leaving open the possibility of not approving Medicaid expansion in December. It’s a classic bait and switch scheme that I hope does not help them obtain a supermajority.

Larry Wolf, Garner

Dems, step up

Just over a month ago, nearly every U.S. House Republican voted against additional funding to tackle the baby formula shortage. That stunt was further proof the GOP has no intention of addressing critical issues.

Democrats must prioritize passing bills that deliver for working-class families. Instead of getting caught up in second-string issues like the corporate warfare being waged against rival tech companies by Trump allies Larry Ellison and Rupert Murdoch via antitrust legislation, Democrats should string together meaningful accomplishments going into November.

They can start by getting more supplies of baby formula to desperate families across the country, taking concrete steps to tamp down inflation, codifying women’s reproductive rights, and addressing gun violence. Voters will take notice in November.

Cameron Thomas, Raleigh

Supreme Court

I keep reading how the Supreme Court is “destroying democracy,” when in fact they have restored it.

Look at the EPA ruling. The court said that important decisions should be made by those we elected, not by the “fourth branch,” meaning agencies that make and enforce regulations enacted by unelected bureaucrats.

The Supreme Court is putting democracy back where it belongs — in the hands of the electorate. We are the final judges as to the wisdom of laws made by elected officials — not government employees, unknown and often employed for life. The court’s message: Federal, state and local elected officials should do their job. And “we the people” must do ours: Vote!

Mike Caldwell, Raleigh

Rename this road

I’m perplexed about why we still have Cornwallis Road. Charles Cornwallis was a British general who fought and killed our American ancestors. I have no issue with changing names of roads and educational institutions which unfortunately honor Confederate soldiers or slaveholders. Why then do we honor Cornwallis with a road?

Gary Jackson, Durham

Thanks, Wegmans

The decision by Wegmans to stop using plastic bags in its check-out lanes is very welcome. When will other N.C. supermarkets follow suit? Surely Harris Teeter and Food Lion can now do the right thing and help stem the flow of single-use plastics into landfills and oceans.

Rosemary Haskell, Chapel Hill