Greetings Columbus —
We changed things up on Sunday and devoted our entire opinion page to one topic — gun violence. The headline on a very complicated issue was simply this: Enough.
We knew that publishing the editorial in The Republic and our sister papers in Franklin, Seymour and Greenfield would draw feedback — good, bad and ugly. Click here to read the editorial.
Certainly, it would have been easier to avoid the issue, averting criticism and mockery.
But our company felt strongly that the carnage rolling across America is killing too many too soon, creating an environment where our kids are growing up in fear and where mass shootings are getting close to becoming normalized. We needed to take a stand.
Keep in mind, what we presented on Sunday is The Republic’s opinion. Your opinion is just as important. We are a forum for all ideas, not just our own. We routinely publish columns and letters from residents who strongly disagree with positions we may take. We welcome that and encourage it. In fact, a marketplace of ideas is healthy and leads to better ideas and solutions.
Share your views and ideas on our opinion page by following simple and basic guidelines. Click here to find out how.
In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some of the feedback we have received so far on the gun violence and mental illness editorial. There were submitted to The Republic and our sister papers —
- Thank you for today’s thoughtful and well-written editorial on gun control. I’m proud of my hometown newspaper for taking the ethical high road in this heated debate. I had recently been considering canceling my long-time subscription, but you’ve got me for life now. Again, thank you.
- Orchids for the editorial, “Enough,” which pleads with our lawmakers to do something to stop the carnage of individuals in our country due to gun and mental health issues.
- Onions to the local paper for perpetuating the false term “Assault rifle” for a popular sporting rifle when the AR stands for Armalite Rifle. Is journalism dead? Quit blaming the tool instead of the person.
- Orchids for Sunday’s excellent “Enough” editorial column recommending responsible common-sense approaches to gun safety.
- I was delighted to see the full page opinion on gun control today. Thank you for providing perspective and intellect to our community. I appreciate you and your team.
- I want to commend you for your courageous action in publishing this position. You presented a well-researched case showing the devastation we all suffer due to gun violence. And you presented realistic common sense solutions that 90 plus percent of Americans agree with. Lastly, you gave a compelling and impassioned call to action. This day’s issue of the Republic makes my very proud to be a subscriber.
- I would like to commend you for the extensive editorial regarding gun violence and the need for reform in Sunday’s newspaper. I am sure it was not an easy decision to run this editorial on such a controversial subject and I appreciate the depth and sentiment of the editorial. The title of the editorial says it all: Enough.
- Outstanding opinion page today. Thanks and keep up the good work. Your paper is one of the best examples of a free and socially responsible press.
- Thank you for being on the right side of this issue. I know we are smack dab in the middle of a red state and sensible gun control measures won’t be popular with many of your readers. As your headline states “Enough” hits the nail on the head. Our right to bear arms does not mean we should have unlimited access to military style weapons. … I urge all of the readers to clip the legislator contact list and start emailing your demands for change on this issue and others that are eroding our quality of life. Citizens need to stand up and force these do nothing politicians to start acting on issues instead of just making noise to arouse their base.
- Thank you for the thoughtful editorial titled “Enough” in Saturday’s edition. My only suggestion would be to alter the priorities in the piece to move mental health to the top of the list and move the gun control issues farther down. … The furor and emotion around each of the killing incidents makes logical discussions difficult at that time. It immediately becomes a shouting match with few people listening to the other side. That’s why I like your more measured approach.
Here’s what else you need to know —
Jeremy Miller’s relapse: The opioid epidemic in Bartholomew County.
He told us his story in two different places — once at a center where people with addictions are treated and more recently from jail. Jeremy Miller was in recovery until he relapsed and described himself as the most “selfish, cold-hearted heroin addict you could ever find.” Story here.
We sold alcohol on Sunday, and the world is still spinning.
I confess I participated in history on Sunday. The clerk at one liquor store I went to (for research purposes only — see above photo!) told me his small liquor store on State Road 135 had done three times the sales on Sunday as it had on Saturday. And that was at 3:30 p.m. He still had about four selling hours to go. Click here for the story.
Hospital purchasing hundreds of acres.
Learn why Columbus Regional Health is buying 800 acres on the city’s west side and selling The Republic’s former home in downtown Columbus.
Columbus native has a need for speed — in the swimming pool.
Sports editor Ted Schultz writes: Michael Brinegar keeps getting faster, and now, he’s the nation’s all-time fastest high school swimmer in the 1,650-yard freestyle. The Columbus native swam 14 minutes, 35.35 seconds Saturday to win the event at the 2018 American Short Course Championships in Austin, Texas. Tuesday’s Republic.
Have a great day. Send your story ideas to [email protected].
