Parents make stand

My 6- and 8-year-old sons just opened their Christmas presents. Toys abound, abundant fun-making, mind-stimulating objects – but no iPods, no hand-held screens or games from today’s world.

Instead, Santa brought their parents an Atari console and joysticks, with 70 games inside, including Pong and Asteroids. And the children are in awe, understanding that their parents may let them play with it if they are good.

It’s our time, my fellow 40-somethings, to do our part: Tell the video computer gun industrial complex – or whoever is benefiting from it – that they can’t sell us gun violence. Blowing up meteors, fine. But not fellow humans. Why should we allow our children’s minds to be poisoned that way?

And the government regulates other things, It taxes us. Lawmakers need to stop allowing the producers and shareholders to dictate public policy.

Elizabeth Haddix, Siler City