Supreme Court's bump-stock ruling, congestion pricing delay, NYS Regents exams

Bump-stock OK triggers outrage

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ruled that bump stocks are not machine guns because the firing mechanism doesn’t fire exactly as a machine gun is defined [“Bump-stock ban struck down,” Newsday, June 15]. He even included diagrams to show they were different. It doesn’t matter that the result is exactly the same.

It is ironic that in 2022, he ruled that the spirit of the Second Amendment and not the exact words protects an individual’s right to bear arms.

Maybe if a Supreme Court justice’s family member was one of the Las Vegas victims, he would have ruled on the spirit instead of the exact wording.

— Kathleen Burns, Franklin Square

Six Supreme Court justices must be in great physical condition, having bent over so far backward to avoid calling a semiautomatic rifle with a bump stock a machine gun.

I understand the job of the justices is to interpret the Constitution in every case that comes before the court, but since I could not find the phrase “machine gun” in the document, I would think that, along with the law, they must use common sense for their decisions. Common sense there seems in short supply these days.

They have just made it easier to kill more concert attendees, more supermarket shoppers and more students. My heart breaks for all of our country’s children and grandchildren.

— Roberta Comerchero, Commack

This Supreme Court has shown itself to be out of sync with most Americans. It overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago and has relaxed the requirements for gun ownership. Both decisions are in opposition to the desires of the majority of Americans.

It is possible that in the next four-plus years, at least two vacancies will happen in the court. If former President Donald Trump is elected, it would likely lead to an even more conservative court. It would result in greater restrictions on women and few restrictions on gun proliferation.

— Hal Juman, Commack

The government should create a Department of Gun Safety (DGS). Here’s how it would roll:

This agency would be responsible for making sure that firearms purchased by private citizens are registered. The registration should exactly match car registrations.

Instead of a VIN number, as cars have, include the gun’s serial number. A yearly fee is charged, and you must renew your registration each year.

You also must notify the DGS if you move to a different state or out of the country. If you sell your firearms, you must complete a form and notify the DGS. The form should include all the seller’s basic information, and the same information is required of the buyer.

We’d have enhanced background checks for anyone who wants to buy a gun. These checks would be at every location where a gun can be sold, including flea markets, gun shops, sporting goods stores, and gun shows.

Anyone with a criminal record or a case of mental illness is automatically disqualified from buying and owning a gun.

— Ben Milano, Lindenhurst

Congratulations to the Supreme Court for opening the floodgates to possibly larger mass shooting casualties.

— Paul Pugliani, Smithtown

Congestion price halt shows bad judgment

I disagree with Town Supervisors Angie Carpenter and Rich Schaffer [“Our residents can’t afford congestion pricing,” Opinion, June 18]. Long Islanders have a viable way to get to Manhattan via the Long Island Rail Road. After arriving at Penn Station or Grand Central Madison, subways can take us anywhere in the borough, and many use that environmentally responsible method. We pay a hefty fare to do so.

Monthly discounts aside, a peak ticket from Garden City to Zone 1, New York City, is $13 one way and another $13 returning home. If a subway is needed, you pay another $5.80 round trip for every visit. We pay these fares, reduce traffic, and create no pollution. For this responsible action, we pay $31.80 each day per person.

Why are the supervisors crying about a carload of people paying $15? The inequity is stark. This reasonable toll would help us maintain a vibrant and heavily used mass transit system. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s last-hour decision to shelve congestion pricing is unacceptable. She bailed on good public policy for no good reason, showing zero leadership. It’s really disappointing.

— Glenn Aldridge, Garden City

Suspending congestion pricing is the best thing that could happen to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. Now, service issues can be attributed to the lost revenue, deflecting from poor MTA management [“Second Avenue Subway shelved, MTA says,” News, June 19].

— John Cornicello, Lynbrook

Without Regents exams, diplomas mean nothing

With its decision to eliminate the requirement that high school students pass Regents exams in order to graduate, the Board of Regents has sounded the death knell for education in New York State [“No Regents tests recipe for disaster,” Letters, June 16].

A high school diploma is not a participation trophy; it is a credential earned that indicates mastery of subject matter.

It is farcical that students will sit for exams in English, algebra and a science to comply with federal statutory requirements but will not be required to pass these exams.

Worse, there is no requirement that students pass exams in history and government. How can a functioning democratic republic survive if citizens are not required to understand the structure and mechanisms of their government, and lack any historical context in which to place current events?

Public schools serve a dual purpose: They prepare students academically for further education or vocational training, and, no less important, educate students in how to be informed and active citizens. The revised graduation requirements do neither.

Yes, more students will graduate, but a high school diploma will mean nothing.

— Matthew Witten, Great Neck