DEAR EDITOR:

The Vindicator’s June 14 editorial succinctly described the terrifying rise of random gun violence in Youngstown. This rise locally is emblematic of a surge in gun violence across America, as we have all seen tragically over the past few years.

But like a frog in slowly boiling water, we have been blind to the actual cause of this violence, and now that we are at a rolling boil, it feels too late to do anything.

The June 14 editorial ends with a plea to stop this violence. The first step? “Taking a deep breath before grabbing a firearm.”

This is the slow boiling water. The delay, the denial. We have to get out of the pot. “Take a deep breath,” of course, but there should be no gun to reach for.

I’ve heard a lot of talk recently about “evil” being responsible for this gun violence. I submit to you that evil requires tools to do its bidding, and none are more powerful than firearms.

All of this senseless loss of life can be avoided by making it harder to purchase firearms, mandating universal background checks and banning weapons of war such as the AR-15.

MALCOLM FORTIER

Poland