I take issue with Mr. Noel Gerken’s assertions and exhortations in the March 8 issue of The Maple Valley Reporter. His assertion that, “gun violence and deaths in our society are increasing at an alarming rate” is patently false, according to the Crimes Statistics Report on U.S. Crimes.

Both property crimes and violent crimes have been decreasing – dramatically so since 2003 for the former and less so since 2006 for the latter. Yet even if his assertion were true, I take umbrage that his remedy is to contact selected members of the state legislature and let them know we are “tried” (sic) of partisan politics preventing common sense solutions to improve our safety.

If these “partisan” representatives are protecting our Constitutional rights to safeguard ourselves and our families, I say more power to them.

Why not contact the opposing party’s members in Olympia — equally partisan and more prone to knee-jerk reactions based on false assumptions and baseless allegations — and urge them to support the Constitution with respect to self-protection?

While I don’t expect many to heed Mr. Gerken’s advice or my own, I could not let this assertion and so-called remedy remain unchallenged.

Dennis Fletcher

Maple Valley