Good Editorial

Brian Deck of Springfield, Missouri, writes:

The citizen with a concealed carry permit (CCW permit) issued by the state of Missouri and carrying a handgun in a city park is not a threat to anyone.

...

Why?

Because in order to get a CCW permit, a person must go through eight hours of training (going rate for this training is $100), demonstrate his ability to safely handle a handgun, apply to the sheriff of his county of residence for a permit (another $100), be fingerprinted, pass a background check to verify no criminal background, and then have the CCW information put on their driver's license (another $12).

Of course, speaking common sense to the masses yeilds the following comment (emphasis mine):

brio99 wrote:

I don't want you CCW folks protecting me or my family. You all think your [sic] gonna save someone. You all think your [sic] secure with that concealed gun on your hip. Your[sic] basically afraid. You live with fear all the time and carrying your gun with you proves it. I'am [sic] trying to remember the last time I saw a drug deal go down in a park . Last time I saw bad guys with guns in one of our parks? Could it be your [sic] just afraid of someone different than you so you label them as someone to fear? Gee , golly I better have my gun on me, cause those folks look bad. Let me repeat , I don't need you local CCW's protecting me. Chanes [sic] are if I saw you pull out your gun, well I would take it from you before you knew what happened. Live outside the fear box, you'll enjoy life more!

If I were inclined to register at that website (I'm not), I would respond as follows:

Well, brio99, it sure doesn't look like you need a gun at all, seeing as you have lightning-fast reflexes and all. That's a good thing for you, because as a "CCW" I have neither the obligation nor the desire to play cop. I carry to protect me & mine, not to go around acting like I'm Joe Friday.

If I were to see you in trouble and your catlike reflexes failed you, would I intervene? Possibly. Aw, heck, probably. But, don't count on me. I might not like the odds and simply call 911 instead of helping.

There are more, of course, but this guy had the "best" comment so far.

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