Freedom riders.

• Author: Gammill, Powell
• Position: Letters - Letter to the Editor

Jacob Sullum's story of motorcyclists successfully fighting helmet laws ("Freedom Riders," November) brought a smile to my face.

Arizona had a helmet law. The motorcyclists gathered enough signatures to put it on the ballot, and it was repealed.

In a subsequent unrelated matter, the legislature, infuriated at voters for passing a medical marijuana exemption, passed laws overturning the will of the voters. Voters responded by passing an initiative that took away the legislature's power to override voter-passed initiatives. So now when the Insurance Institute comes bribing them to pass a helmet law, legislators can only shrug.

Finally, the state Capitol where the legislature meets lies in a traffic circle. Whenever the local motorcycle clubs perceive a law being introduced that is detrimental to their cause, many hundreds of motorcyclists show up, dressed in their finest gun-toting apparel, and circle the building, revving their engines. Imagine holding a fundraiser and having this club show up to "support" your re-election. The message is received like no other, and the bill dies in committee.

As an activist said, "If you aren't having fun, you are doing something wrong."

Powell Gammill

Phoenix, AZ

I am all in favor of people making their own mistakes when only they suffer the consequences. But when I pay for those mistakes, it becomes my business too. When people are injured in accidents, not only law enforcement but medical services spring into action, paid for by taxes and insurance. There is plenty of good evidence that helmets and seat belts greatly reduce these costs.

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