“Congress failed to act on guns” (Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 11)?

A gun is my constitutional right, to protect myself and my family. I don’t use them for hunting or recreation. I use them to protect my family.

The government is doing just fine. But what about those guys who mowed down all those people in Europe with cars? They were deadly weapons; should we make them illegal?

John Day

Kaneohe

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Rail’s billions could solve other problems

So far, Honolulu has spent $3.5 billion on the rail project and, worse yet, we are going to spend another $10 billion.

Surely $1 billion could have taken good care of our homeless problem, and a million or two could have air-conditioned many classrooms. I wonder how many bridges could have been repaired for $2 billion? How many potholes fixed?

Just think what we could do with the next $10 billion. Maybe we could clean up the Ala Wai, and pay teachers more money. No doubt your readers could think of many more productive ways we could spend that money — unless, of course, the city is planning on making everything so bad that we have no choice but to ride the rail to nowhere.

Bobbie Slater

Pacific Heights

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We have the right to show disrespect

With all due respect to Charles Ota for his service and opinion, he’s incorrect regarding kneeling during our national anthem (“Speak one’s mind, but show respect,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 7).

I stand with hand over heart when the anthem plays at public events, but that’s my choice. Others choose differently. That’s being American — we have freedom of expression, within reason.

An idiot can legally hold a sign in public saying “I hate blacks.” It’s illegal and immoral to hold a sign saying, “Let’s attack blacks.”

Ota’s views on what “exhibits disrespect” for the U.S. cannot be forced on others; the First Amendment guarantees the right to show disrespect to our nation, even if we don’t like it.

If one can’t kneel during the anthem, what’s next? Banning disrespect for the president?

Sean Goodspeed

Ala Moana