Gun rights not a problem; welfare law is

As a veteran, I find John Johnson's Nov. 25 letter, “Why are such powerful weapons available?” the lamest excuse for gun control I've ever read. His opinion to use the Fort Hood massacre to promote his own anti-gun agenda is a disgrace.

Maj. Hassan, the alleged shooter, is nothing more than a homegrown terrorist motivated by religious ideological insanity. Johnson's argument to use the massacre is offensive to law-abiding citizens like myself who wish to exercise their constitutional rights to protect family and property.

People, not guns, kill people. Firearms like the FN semi auto handgun used in the massacre have been available for decades.

For years, handguns were “outlawed” in the nation's capitol. Washington, D.C., became the “murder capitol” of the world as the result.

Our city is being flooded by out-of-state hooligans who capitalize on our state's liberal welfare policies. That is the source of crime in Cedar Rapids. Until the Iowa Legislature cuts the money, every law-abiding citizen is going to suffer. Pass a law requiring a person to be an Iowa resident a minimum of five years before collecting welfare.

David Ahart

Cedar Rapids