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Letters to the Editor | Sept. 17, 2024

Inquirer readers on too many guns in America, the Sixers' arena proposal, and healthy aging.

As of 2022, the United States has 121 firearms per 100 residents, making it the only country with more civilian-owned firearms than people, according to gun violence prevention group Brady.
As of 2022, the United States has 121 firearms per 100 residents, making it the only country with more civilian-owned firearms than people, according to gun violence prevention group Brady.Read moreRobert F. Bukaty / AP

No one is safe

The Secret Service is being criticized for not protecting Donald Trump from assassination attempts when, in reality, no one is safe from the hundreds of millions of guns that are circulating in America. Regular citizens across this country are in extreme danger, not just political figures. One in five Americans say they have had a family member fatally shot. No one is safe in America with so many guns on the streets in the hands of anyone who wants to buy one.

Claire Gawinowicz, Oreland

Back to basics

The recently released impact study on the Sixers’ proposed Center City arena is — or should be considered — meaningless. It is irrelevant. The real question we face is, if we need and want a new arena, what is the best location for the team, for the neighborhood, and for the city? Exploring impacts at a single site fails to address whether Market Street is the optimal location. Focusing only on this one site skews the table and avoids the real work of urban planning that is needed. Back to basics for a healthy new venue.

Avi Decter, Philadelphia

Multiple threats

A recent editorial highlights Donald Trump’s alarming campaign actions, but his party joins him in threatening American democracy. Despite Trump fueling the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the GOP still supports him. Republican senators helped him stack the U.S. Supreme Court that declared him above the law, just like the dictator he promises to be. GOP lawmakers outside his criminal trial tried to discredit justice being done. In Pennsylvania, they nominated an insurrectionist for governor, and in the statehouse, they heckled law enforcement officers who defended our government from rioters. Pennsylvania Republicans have an anti-democracy history — they used gerrymandering to hold lopsided majorities in our legislature and congressional delegation until the state Supreme Court finally ended their blatantly partisan maps. We pray that the Republican Party will someday return to basic American principles. But this year, Pennsylvania must teach the GOP a powerful lesson by defeating it soundly up and down the ballot.

James G. Lertola, Kennett Square

Healthy aging

Preparation for your health after retirement should begin between the ages of 40 and 50. A yearly physical with an internist is recommended. A goal for your weight should be identified. An exercise program can be done at home. Smoking, drugs, and all alcoholic beverages should be eliminated. If there are many things that need attention, pick out a few and add the others over time. Accomplishing these goals will improve your current health and lay the foundation for a healthy, lengthy, and active retirement. Personally, I am looking forward to my 93rd birthday.

Philip Magerman, Philadelphia

Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 200 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.