Great show deserves praise

Mahalo to the Aloha Performing Arts Company for its humorous and professional quality production of “Arsenic And Old Lace,” which I had the great pleasure to experience on opening night last Friday.

The stellar cast was magnificent, and our community is blessed to have such magnificent live theater performances available for our enjoyment. This is a “don’t miss”show.

Joel Gimpel

Kailua-Kona

Car/gun argument flawed

In his letter (“Things to know before crying for banning guns,” WHT, Oct. 6), Kenneth Brandt makes several questionable assertions criticizing the calls for legislative action to address our epidemic of mass shootings. He says “guns don’t kill people, no more than cars do” and attempts to equate the highway death toll with firearms fatalities.

Well, let’s see: Vehicle manufacturers are required by law to build in safety features; to drive a motor vehicle legally on public roadways you need to prove knowledge of traffic laws and demonstrate the ability to operate the vehicle correctly (in other words, pass the tests to get a license); in order to be registered (get a license plate) the vehicle must meet safety requirements and the owner must carry liability insurance. Compare those “restrictions” with the ease of legally obtaining a firearm. But beyond that, Mr. Brandt’s equivalency fails because cars and trucks are blunt force weapons — that is, they must physically contact a person or object in order to cause harm; while, as the Las Vegas shooter dramatically demonstrated, a gun can be lethal from a great distance and to a great many victims.

He states “the majority of the weapons used by the shooter in Las Vegas were illegal,” but according to law enforcement authorities investigating the incident, shooter Paddock’s arsenal was legally purchased, as were the “bump stock” modifiers that allowed some of his weapons to mimic fully automatic operation.

Mr. Brandt also states that “existing laws …already prevent people with known mental issues from buying guns,” but his information is a bit out of date. In February, barely a month into his presidency, one of Trump’s first legislative acts was to sign a bill rescinding Obama-era regulations that would have blocked firearms purchases by those with diagnosed mental health problems.

He concludes by wrapping his opinion in the constitutionally protected right to bear arms, but I remind Mr. Brandt that the third word in the Second Amendment is “regulated,” as in “a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state …” and I believe that important qualifying clause should be included in any discussion of the “right to keep and bear arms.”

Alan Silverman

Kailua-Kona

Keep feral cats out of parks, harbors

I am writing to express my support of the new DLNR rules for state public boat harbors that seek to regulate and remove feral cats and dogs.

Endangered Hawaiian stilts and Hawaiian coots live and breed near the harbor in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Kona. These birds nest on the ground, and chicks and incubating female birds are vulnerable to predation by feral cats, mongooses, and unleashed dogs.

Even if they are fed, even if they are fixed, feral cats kill birds and small animals. Feral cats spread disease, including toxoplasmosis. If you love cats, you will keep them safe indoors. If you love wildlife, you will keep feral predators out of their landscapes. Feral cats can have large feeding territories.

Call Gov. David Ige at (808) 586-0034 and tell him you support the new DLNR rules in state boat harbors keeping humans and wild birds safe from feral cats.

Marie Morin

Kailua-Kona