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Local march should have been covered

Bouquets & Barbs

Bouquet and Barb

From Carolyn J. Cody, Quinnesec:

Thank you, Judy and Doug Stock, for organizing the March for Our Lives last Saturday. There was a great turnout.

Interesting how our local newspaper, Iron Mountain Daily News did not acknowledge the event — picture or short article.

A shame.

Support strong in IM for March for Our Lives

Bouquet and Barb

From Edward Laarman, Niagara, Wis.:

I appreciate The Daily News and rely on it, especially for information about local news and events. I was very disappointed, therefore, that the paper did not cover the march for school safety and sensible gun control that occurred in Iron Mountain on March 24. It was one of the many March for Our Lives rallies that were held throughout the country and the world on that day.

I was one of what I estimate to be 100 to 125 people who turned out for the march, in addition to a few counter-protesters. Considering there was very little advance publicity — all that I saw was a small article in The Daily News — and it was organized not by a group but by an individual, I think that was a significant number of people. We marched, carried signs, and chanted, and several people spoke. Among the speakers were a high school student and an elementary student, who spoke movingly about the need for action to protect our young people at school and in the community.

Certainly there are many factors–spiritual, moral, cultural, social, economic, political, legal, and more–that contribute to the scourge of gun violence, including school shootings, in our country. No single approach, such as gun control, more mental health services or better security measures, will be enough to address the problem. But I, along with those who marched last Saturday and many others, believe that gun control measures such as universal background checks and banning assault-style weapons are a key component of any solution.

There is no real threat, as some allege, that the government will try to take away everyone’s guns. As a hunter myself, I believe the extreme position of the NRA leadership is only serving to turn people around the country against legitimate gun ownership. As a man with grandchildren in our local schools, I plead for immediate action on reasonable gun control.

Beyond that, let’s all work together on ways we can confront the issue of gun violence. We owe it to our children.

Editor’s note: The Daily News should have been at the local March for Our Lives; it was missed due to an oversight on the editor’s part. We regret the paper did not provide the coverage this demonstration warranted and will try to do better in the future. I also invite organizers of such events to contact me directly in the future at 906-774-2772, ext. 40, or bbloom@ironmountaindailynews.com. — Betsy Bloom, managing editor, The Daily News

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