Regarding "Hattori's mom appeals for wider U.S. gun control effort," the poor woman is appealing to a nation that looks upon gun ownership with almost religious zeal and for many American males, gun ownership is a rite of passage and sign of macho toughness. America celebrates the gun.
Gun control is an anathema in the minds and hearts of all patriotic National Rifle Association members. The very concept of gun control violates the U.S. Constitution, the same historical document that protected the equality of most white American males just over 200 years ago. Mieko Hattori's heartfelt plea is falling on deaf ears. She's preaching to a very hostile "congregation."
Perhaps Hattori has no understanding of how sacred the gun is to most Americans. As they like to say in Missouri, "God, guns, and guts created America" (and hundreds of years of black slavery).
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.