I agree with Melissa Hamilton that the cartoon in the Sept. 1 copy of The Citizen should have offered a fourth choice. However, my choice would have been something other than “God, let's hope there's only one crazy gunman here.”

Let's take a look at the scenario that Ms. Hamilton set up: a crazed gunman enters a work place in which half the people are armed and begins shooting. The armed workers start pulling their guns out from where they keep them.

But instead of having a “shoot-out,” I believe it to be more likely that one or two of the workers that were was fastest with a gun, packing double-action revolvers which they kept loaded with the hammer down on an empty chamber would have drawn their guns and one of them would have shot the murderer before anyone else had the chance to do so. Only one or two shots would have been fired, and the murderous gunman would have been dead on the floor.

Do we want more people carrying loaded guns? It's a numbers game all right. Where there are no cars, nobody gets killed in a car accident, but it takes a long time to get anywhere (including medical help). Where there is no food, nobody accidently chokes to death while eating, but the people starve. Where there are no guns, nobody is accidently shot, but they can't defend themselves if some rough no-gooder cuts their phone lines and breaks into their home in the middle of the night.

About 35,000 people die a firearm-related death each year, and if you think that's a reason to get rid of guns, look at how often they are used in self-defense. Firearms are used by lawful citizens to prevent crimes and save lives over 2.5 million times each year!

Yes, we need guns!

Ms. Hamilton stated in her letter, “A mere fraction of those accidently shot are by supposedly sane people.” Pardon me, but how does an insane person “accidently” shoot somebody?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, folks. I'm sure that Melissa Hamilton is just as concerned as I am about preventing gun accidents and homicides, and that she meant well by her editorial last week. But I think that if I were trapped in a building with a crazed gunman the only though that I would have time to think is: Thank the Lord I have a gun!

Ellis Bee
Fayetteville





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