Shoot Out

Trigger happy: Maybe Tony Ortega thought he was being cute last week when the Pitch published his article “Half-Cocked” (KC Strip, November 6), where he implied that all Missourians who support concealed carry are lonely, racist hicks with small penises, but I found it rather ignorant. While I don’t own a gun, I am a strong supporter of concealed carry. Perhaps to most opponents of this law, the thought of everyone carrying a gun is frightening, but I can picture a worse situation: criminals carrying unregistered firearms and knowing that everyone on the street is defenseless against their weapons.

I think the media have failed incredibly to bring the facts about concealed carry to the public. Every article I’ve ever read about concealed carry makes the claim that guns are bad, guns are scary, and then asks the ridiculously rhetorical question: “Do you really want someone to be able to carry a gun into a hospital or preschool?” without mentioning that even the sloppiest concealed carry law allows anyone to post signs prohibiting such a thing.

The tone that Ortega used when writing his article was based on uninformed, angry e-mails that Alvin Brooks has been receiving, and I don’t feel that it presents an accurate portrayal of most people who support the concealed carry law. Frank Brady, who otherwise sounds like a real jerk, made a very valid point in his first e-mail, in which he pointed out that the black community is heavily in favor of concealed carry, which is true. Not because they are all criminals but because a lot of them live in neighborhoods where they feel unprotected on the street.

That said, I do not like the way this concealed carry law was written or passed. I believe that there may be many loopholes that would allow criminals to acquire permits, which is exactly what the supporters of this law do not want.

It would be nice if the Star and the Pitch would give concealed carry a chance rather than shooting it to pieces every time it is brought up. Perhaps if it could get some fair press, we could let the voters have another chance at passing a law that would make Missouri a safer place. I’m confident that it could pass.

Bryan Stalder

Kansas City, Missouri

Smoking gun: Tony Ortega’s attempt to reduce the whole gun debate to shallow racist stereotyping kinda makes me wonder what kind of embarrassment he’s concealing in his pants. His article served only to illuminate his prejudice.

I’m not a member of the NRA, nor am I a supporter of concealed carry. I am, in fact, considered a liberal by most standards. If the issue has any connection to race or penises, it’s certainly not the one described in this article. If Mr. Ortega were a serious journalist, he might be more concerned with telling us what the reason is behind the following statistics.

White males between 35 and 55 have the highest per capita gun ownership in the country, and yet they have one of the lowest homicide rates (3 per 100,000 per year). Compare that to the homicide rate among black men in the same age group (40 per 100,000 per year).

This holds true of other age groups as well. The sons of those gun-owning white men (white males ages 14 to 18) kill each other at a rate of 17 per 100,000 per year. Young black men in that same age group, who would presumably have less access to guns than the sons of heavily armed white guys, kill each other at a rate of 115 per 100,000 per year.

Does this have anything to do with the penis, or is Tony Ortega just fascinated by the subject?

David Hughes

Kansas City, Missouri

Circus Freaks

Working for peanuts: Thank you for telling readers about the inhumane treatment of animals used in UniverSoul Circus (“Mean Old Frisco,” November 6). Circus trainers routinely use bullhooks, whips and other torturous devices to force animals to perform frightening, dangerous and demeaning “tricks” they cannot comprehend.

Former elephant trainers admit that elephants are trained to fear their handlers through force and domination. Carol Buckley, a former elephant trainer and current executive director of the Elephant Sanctuary, acknowledges that “this method of training elephants, using punishment to instill a sense of fear, is standard practice in the circus industry.” According to Buckley, “All elephants used in circuses are trained in this fashion. It is not possible to train an elephant to perform circus routines solely with positive reinforcement.”

When animals used in circuses aren’t performing, they are kept in cages or on chains. They are deprived of their basic needs to exercise, roam, socialize, forage and play. Big cats, bears, and primates are forced to eat, drink, sleep, defecate and urinate in the same cramped cages. Elephants are chained by the legs for hours at a time.

The UniverSoul Circus should stick with its talented trapeze artists, clowns, contortionists, R&B singers and other willing human performers and leave the animals out of the show. For more information, please see Circuses.com.

Heather Moore

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Norfolk, Virginia

Romance Language

Love shack: Loved Jen Chen’s “Love at the Westin” (Night Ranger, October 30)! I’m an Ellora’s Cave author (katedouglas.com/romantica), so I was there most of the night, and believe me, she definitely caught the story!

Kate Douglas

Cobb, California