LETTER: Open-carry proposal a step backward
I have lived on this planet for 81 years. During that time, I traveled extensively throughout most of the states and many European countries. Yet, I cannot recall a single instance where I had the need of a gun to defend myself.
I recall the days when shootings were rare, when school shootings were unknown and mass shootings would occur perhaps once a decade. In those days, gang rumbles were conducted with bicycle chains and baseball bats. A homemade zip gun that fired a single .22-caliber bullet was considered a shocking escalation of violence.
Today, shootings are a daily occurrence. Mass shootings happen monthly, sometimes weekly. School shootings are so common that the are hardly noteworthy. Cop killing is a common phenomenon. Gang wars are conducted with automatic weapons and large-capacity magazines. Over the past decades, I have watched it get worse and worse.
The gun lobby keeps saying that the proliferation of gun ownership has not caused the escalation of gun violence. Their argument typically goes: “If we restrict gun ownership, only the criminals will have guns.” Well, they have been winning that argument for decades. Now everyone can have a gun. The criminals all have guns. The gang members have guns. The terrorists have guns. The sociopaths and the mentally unstable have guns. Now, the gun lobby wants them all to be allowed to carry their guns everywhere.
Last year, I rode on a trolley with my two grandchildren. A large, slovenly dressed man in a T-shirt bearing some “Smith & Wesson” quote on it got on and sat near the front. He had what appeared to be an automatic pistol strapped to his waist along with various cartridge cases and accessories. He was not wearing any sort of uniform that would identify him as a member of law enforcement or even private security. I was nervous and protective of my grandchildren until we got off that trolley.
Maybe, I was overreacting, but consider this: What if two restaurants opened in your neighborhood? One displayed a sign saying, “Open carry welcome here!” The other had a sign saying, “No firearms allowed on the premises!” Which one would you be likely to frequent with your children or grandchildren? I know which I would choose.
The overwhelming majority of Americans believe that gun violence is out of control. The overwhelming majority believes that some reasonable controls should be enacted in an attempt to reduce this scourge. Only the gun lobby and enthusiasts think we should continue on this disastrous course that we have been pursuing for so many decades.
Now this minority gun lobby is trying to legally enable everyone to openly carry a firearm. That means criminals, gang members, terrorists, sociopaths and psychopaths can carry a gun anywhere and law enforcement cannot stop them. This is a step backwards that will surely lead to more gun violence. Unfortunately, we have some elected representatives who are subservient to this “dictatorship of the minority” and unwilling to listen to the reasonable majority. Let’s let them know that this is not the kind of society that we want our children and grandchildren to inherit!
Mike Leco
McMurray