FROM: Terry Lynch@aol.com; POB 241035; Montgomery, AL 36124-1035
Phone: (334) 277-3582 voice/fax

DATE:  March 27, 1998 

TO:  Letter to the Editor      WORD COUNT: 200

REF: Southern Gun Culture And Raring Killer Kids

If southern gun culture played a role in the Jonesboro killings,
perhaps the same rural American, kill the mad dog intellect 
should apply to dealing with these killer kids.  Had a pack of 
mad dogs invaded the Westside Middle School killing four children 
and a pregnant teacher, the rabid animals would have been shot on 
sight, destroyed without question.

Arkansas law will treat these two mad shooters as juveniles, not 
adults.  Would you prefer a rural lynch mob response that would 
treat these killer kids like animals?  By their actions they have 
not only killed five people and injured ten others, but destroyed 
families, terrorized their school, community and an entire 
nation.  Have not these mad dog killer kids even destroyed their 
own futures?  Would not the quick death void of trial or hearing 
be the most humane way to treat these sick "wild animals?"

Of course even in the south, people are civilized enough to 
realize that you don't treat children like dogs, even when they 
commit atrocious crimes.  You try to reform them and pray to God 
your efforts will be successful.  You lock them up in a detention 
center and give them a Bible and try to regiment their lives 
according to God's plan.  Then when they are 18 you release them 
back into society and hope that the first thing they do isn't buy 
a .30-06 Winchester with telescopic sight and blow away their 
counselors, parents and everyone else who had a hand in their 
rehabilitation.

Yes, we in the south are very civilized.  We know that if you 
give those kids enough scripture they will not turn out like 
David Korish or Charles Manson leading others to arm themselves in 
the name of God to lash out against society.  We know the Devil 
made them do it, that the absence of keyed trigger locks on guns 
was not a factor.  Nor was it irresponsible to teach a toddler 
how to hunt and kill.  As long as you put your kids in a school 
that has prayer, God will watch over them.

Why it is idiotic to think that "southern gun culture" had a role 
in these killings.  Were that true it would follow that we should 
just kill these kids like the mad, crazed dogs they emulate!  But 
we can't do that because we must save their souls first. No one 
should play God by prescribing an adult death sentence to kids 
who kill.  No, we in the south are more civilized than that. 
Let's just put them away for a few years and hope and pray that 
when they get out they don't go around playing God themselves by 
killing their parents, teachers and anyone else who gets in their 
way.  After all, what has guns got to do with it?


Sincerely,
Terry Lynch
Montgomery, AL