As a Riverside resident, I have listened carefully to the views of former Police Chief Tom Weitzel. He was always a fair man and was respected by residents.
His Sun-Times piece “We should not accept any more children being gunned down” (Nov. 13) was filled with sound advice.
I was thrilled to read his enthusiastic support for preschool programs like Head Start and Redeploy Illinois, a jobs program aimed at at-risk youth. He said that as a society we should “invest heavily” in programs like these that have had success.
But what he did not say is also important. He did not mention a ban on assault weapons that could cut down on the number of mass shootings. Police who are outgunned by criminals cannot be happy with the ease in which these weapons are obtained.
We have the resources to accomplish these goals. But do we have the political will?
Jan Goldberg, Riverside
