From Kathi Spaeth 

Monroe

To the editor: 

Once again the emphasis on the Maine shooting is illness — mental illness. It’s tragic to suffer from any form of it and to be the victim of those who suffer from it, but mental illness like poverty will always be with us though we’d like to believe otherwise. If we take that as a given — that not all of the mentally ill will ever seek or benefit from therapy, drugs, or even a cure, WHY MUST we accept the fact that we will always find ASSAULT WEAPONS in the hands of people who want to hurt others? We can put a stop to that. We can’t stop mental illness. Those who intend to hurt others may be able to use a handgun to kill people, still an unspeakable tragedy, but not crowds of people — crowds at a bowling alley where young and old of any stripe or color are there to enjoy themselves never for a moment dreaming that their recreation will be the next national tragedy. It’s a travesty, plain and simple. And we need to show the carnage. We need to see what a death like that looks like, especially on a precious child.