Controlling who can buy guns ineffective
Controlling who can buy guns ineffective
Remember history? During prohibition when gangsters ruled much of America, the gangster’s weapon of choice was the .45 caliber, fully automatic Tommy-gun with a 100 round magazine. It has a cyclic rate of fire of 1,300 rounds per minute, 1,300 that’s not a misprint. That bullet is five times the size of the AR-15’s. The Thompson submachine gun was and is illegal, so only the gangsters (and some cops) had them, probably still do. Controlling who can buy guns is slightly more promising than design rules that will inevitably lead to designing around the law.
Ken Obenski
South Kona
No kill the best option
We were fortunate to have Nathan Winograd here to present an evidence-based model to achieve no kill shelters. This model has been successful in 500 communities nationwide. To review the model, go to www.nokilladvocacycenter.org and check out the 17 steps found in the tool kit.
Nathan is neutral and not pejorative, but rather focuses on the solution. When he ran a shelter he took away all barriers to sterilization. It was free, and people didn’t have to make an appointment, or even call ahead. They simply brought the animal in. If transportation were an issue, staff would pick up and deliver. It was overwhelmingly successful.
“Euthanasia” means to end suffering after all attempts at restoring health are exhausted. Our Hawaii Island Humane Society has the highest percentage of deaths in the nation, and does not euthanize. It kills healthy animals every day.
I would hope that the leadership of HIHS would look into their hearts and ask why they weren’t willing to hear the model Nathan presented. It is not what he hopes or believes will work. It is well documented that it works, producing less deaths and at a lower cost than the kill model.
This will be done on this island. Our shelter will become a place where animals actually are sheltered and cared for and have their needs met. Our current “humane” society shelter is no such thing, but rather a death camp. I warn everyone to not bring any animal to the HIHS, even for sterilization, as they may or may not get their animal back.
We now know this killing model is ineffective and costly. If killing were the answer, we would have no more homeless animals by now. A no kill shelter will be a reality on the Big Island. To get involved, write mayadolena@gmail.com
Joy Banks
Holualoa