Colorado shooting spurs concern over gun rights

Last week I wrote an editorial expressing my thinking regarding the right to lawfully own and carry a concealed weapon.

I was asked by a friend how I can support such thinking given the tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords (and many others), and now the tragic shooting and deaths of many people in Aurora, Colorado.

These events, and many other similar ones, document the simple fact that humans are the most dangerous animals on this planet. Let us assume that an armed off-duty police officer, or even a well-trained armed civilian had been in the theater, or near the Congresswoman.

Could they have acted in a manner that would have decreased the damage?

As as person who understands this question, I have often thought about these types of nightmare scenarios. One fact is clear. An unarmed person is at a disadvantage when facing an armed person who is shooting at innocent people!

An armed person must be well trained to act to protect and not endanger other people.

Disarming law abiding citizens does not increase safety. Guns are not the problem, they are inanimate objects. The people who commit these types of crimes could have been armed with homemade hand grenades, or other weapons.

The underlying problem may be that our society no longer teaches any sort of moral values.

Our news media covers in great detail the person who is alleged to have committed a crime, rather than making major stories about the people who do good in the community. As a society, we need to teach respect, compassion, helpfulness, and tolerance. A friendly smile, and the ability to see the good in people, may be the solution.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

Thomas Fancher

Moses Lake