In response to Al Duerig’s letter “More guns means more shootings” (March 28, TribLIVE), in which he uses all of the words anti-gun organizations blurb, I would like to offer the following:
His analogy of “I hear all the gun advocates’ arguments and scoff, like guns don’t kill, people do. It’s as silly as saying lawnmowers don’t cut grass” is foolish. Mowers, like any other tool, do what the possessor wants.
On March 23, if 50% of Colorado’s store customers were carrying, how far would the shooter have gotten ? Don’t blame the legal firearm owner for the actions of the criminals and disturbed individuals. Do you blame the automakers for the death of a Capitol police officer?
Per Statista (2020): 42% of households owned at least one firearm. According to the Pew Research Center (2017), 48% of adults grew up with guns, 59% have friends who own guns and 72% have fired a gun at some point. Where is your minority?
Don’t parse the Second Amendment to skew your point. The primary reason for 2A is to deter a government from dictating to its citizens policy that is against their will. Would 6 million Jewish people have died in the Holocaust if Hitler had not confiscated their firearms first?
I also admired Joe Cartwright. However, I grew into a responsible individual who is self-reliant and doesn’t count on the government to protect every facet of my life.
David Teems
Penn Township, Westmoreland County