Get serious; lots of things kill people

I've been pondering the fence post article submitted by Inger Burrows in the Dec. 19 edition of the Daily Herald, in which she refutes the saying, "guns don't kill people." She omitted the rest of the saying, "people kill people."

She states, "It's people with guns who kill people. If the two terrorists hadn't had guns, there wouldn't be 14 people dead and 21 people wounded. Who are we kidding? Lets get serious."

OK, I'm getting serious. Using her reasoning, 33,561 people wouldn't be dead because of car crashes in the year 2012 (incidentally more than who died because of firearms) if the owners of the cars involved hadn't had cars.

So you see not only is it people with guns who kill people, it's people with cars who kill people.

Also, according to the news from Israel, it's people with knives who kill people. It seems as though kitchen knives are the choice of weapon of the Palestinians lately.

If Ms. Burrows wants to reduce the number of unnecessary deaths, I suppose her answer is to take away guns from law-abiding people who wouldn't think about using a firearm except in self-defense.

How about the car deaths? Take away cars from people like me who don't speed or drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs or drive while texting? Should Israel ban kitchen knives?

Who are we kidding? Get serious.

Gene Maril

Arlington Heights

A new identity for College of DuPage?

It appears a change in name is due for COD. I suggest KOD - Kindergarten of DuPage.

Mary Kay Davis

Arlington Heights

GOP radicalism a threat to Americans, too

Americans appropriately understand and fear the threat posed by radical Jihadism. I hope they are equally alarmed by the radical Republicans - Cruz and Trump - now well ahead in recent Iowa polling.

Mary F. Warren

Wheaton