Outpourings of letters over the shootings in Connecticut pushed several other issues out of the print running. Here's a look at some that got outrun.

The recent story about the NRA calling for armed guards in every school set off a firestorm among N&O readers. Here is a look at some of the letters we've received (largely unedited). I can't post a nifty link to the original story because our blog system is, um, broken. But here's the story:

WASHINGTON -- The nation’s largest gun lobby, which has stayed mostly quiet since the shootings that killed 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school a week ago, called Friday for Congress to require armed security guards in every school, saying that doing so could prevent acts of mass violence from happening again.

In a defiant and unapologetic speech, Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, said Friday that the organization would use its resources to build what he called a “national school shield emergency program.” The NRA’s program will be led by Asa Hutchinson, a former Republican congressman and U.S. attorney from Arkansas.

LaPierre on Friday blamed the Connecticut shooting spree on violent video games and movies, as well as the portrayal of guns and mass shootings in the media and the lack of a comprehensive database of the mentally ill. He also said no-gun zones at schools could invite new attacks by those he described as “monsters and predators.” The only thing stopping a “bad guy with a gun” is “a good guy with a gun,” LaPierre said.

www.newsobserver.com/2012/12/21/2560444/nra-calls-for-congress-to-require.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

This is a letter from the parents of Austin Tice, a reporter who’s been captive for four months in Syria. He has written freelance articles for McClatchy Newspapers, which owns The News & Observer. Find a piece about his abduction on Sunday's Other Opinion page.

By Marc Tice and Debra Tice

HOUSTON – An open letter to those holding our son, Austin Tice.

Our family is longing for the safe return of our cherished son and beloved brother Austin, who was taken captive while working as a journalist in Syria. So many things have happened in the more than 18 weeks he has been missing. We missed him terribly at the family gathering for the feast of Thanksgiving. We are a close-knit family, sharing so many memories and traditions. Now, as we prepare for the joyful celebration of Christmas, we desperately want our family to be whole. Our hearts are heavy to think his chair may once again be empty at our family table; we dread missing his great storytelling and contagious laugh.

Austin is the oldest of our seven children. The Tice kids are very close, and Austin’s absence is agonizing. Like children everywhere, they grew up loving, fussing, challenging and, most important, supporting one another. Austin is so proud to be the thoughtful mentor and protector of his sisters and brothers, encouraging them to dream big and work hard to make those dreams come true. He has set an example by never settling for less than excellence in himself.

He is an Eagle Scout – Boy Scouting’s highest rank – a diligent student and a frequent volunteer, willingly sharing his time and talent to help others. As a Marine, he earned the loyalty and respect of his men by wholly embracing the call to lead by example. Now, as a journalist, he is determined to get the story and tell it with a deep commitment to honesty and thoughtful analysis.

As parents, we encourage our children to learn about and understand other cultures; to discover and explore the things we have in common as people sharing a world that grows ever more connected. Austin has traveled widely, always eager to meet and engage the local people. He has a special affinity for the people of the Middle East; he is especially attracted to their tradition of hospitality. He deeply connects with their intense loyalty to family, faith and ideals.

A passionate and serious man, Austin has no patience for shallow and materialistic pursuits. He went to Syria to see the truth and to share the stories of its people. He wanted to experience and understand the fundamental and essential nature of their challenges.

Austin’s big heart holds a special place for children. In his professional photographs, he tried to capture how the events in Syria affected its children.

Austin has always had an interest in journalism. From the time he began reading, he wanted to know what was going on “all around.” He has faithfully kept a journal. He has written for the newspaper at every school he attended, from middle school right up through college. He was thrilled to be offered a contract to report from Syria over his summer break from Georgetown Law School.

Austin is just one of the many journalists taking great risks to further knowledge and understanding of other people, places and events. There is a global consensus through treaty and convention that the work of journalists is essential and should be protected and respected.

We steadfastly work and pray for Austin’s safe return. We are sustained by our faith and by the kind thoughts and prayers that are being offered for Austin and our family. We are humbled, amazed and deeply grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support and assistance we have received from every corner of the globe; affirmation of all the lives that have been touched by our extraordinary son.

We urge you, whoever you are: Let Austin come home for Christmas. Let us hug him, laugh and cry with him, love him in person. Let us be a whole family again.

Here's a statement from numerous pastors across the state in the N.C. Council of Churches on the shootings in Connecticut:

Getting lots of letters about the Connecticut shootings that are too long to run. Here's one from a Raleigh firearms instructor. See what you think.

Both Orage Quarles, The N&O's publisher, and Steve Ford, the recently retired editorial page editor, were guests on "The State of Things" yesterday. The WUNC 91.5 program is hosted by Frank Stasio and "devoted to bringing the issues, personalities, and places of North Carolina to our listeners."

You'll find some interesting tidbits, no doubt, by listening to the interviews here.

Here's how the station's website introduced the segments:

For nearly a quarter century, Steve Ford edited the editorial page at The News & Observer of Raleigh. During that time, he wrote about disgraced politicians, fights over student assignment and a wide array of other issues facing the state and Triangle. Ford retired earlier this month, and today he joins host Frank Stasio to look back at his career and the changing nature of editorial pages.

Today, The News & Observer of Raleigh is putting in place an online paywall — a subscription fee for people who want to read more than 15 articles a month on the paper's website. Host Frank Stasio talks about the changes and the evolving economies of the newspaper business with N&O publisher Orage Quarles, III.

Here's a look at more than 20 more letters on the shootings in Connecticut. These are largely unedited.

Another batch of letters from N&O readers on the shootings. These are largely unedited:

Scores and scores of letters on the shooting deaths of 26 at a Connecticut elementary school. Here's a sampling:

Allison Benedikt, managing editor of Slate's Double X, has written a pretty scathing letter to President Obama in the wake of the unbelievable tragedy in Connecticut. She's not impressed with his saying he was reacting as a parent, not as a president. In it, she says, "We don't need you to cry at the podium. We need  you to do something."

Read the rest here.