Blame people, not guns, for violence

John Dyer, Henderson

Friday, April 17, 2009 | 2:02 a.m.

Regarding New York Times columnist Bob Herbert’s commentary in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun, “Will we keep turning away? Gun violence is the scourge of this nation, yet little is done”:

Apparently the guns are at it again. It’s never the knives, bats or pipes that get the headlines.

If a gun is involved then it is extra violent, extra bloody, and “murderous gunfire.” And it’s always the gun’s fault.

Because of the way the media report things (as they see fit), one rarely reads or hears about citizens using guns to protect themselves from criminals.

And there are actually people who believe that if guns are outlawed, there will be blissful peace in the land.

When will these people realize that criminals will always have guns, no matter what laws are in place? They’re called criminals for a reason. People who want to kill others will find a way and a means.

Disarming American citizens has not lessened the violence toward them. When criminals know the person, or group, they want to act against might turn on them and possibly harm or kill them, the criminals will choose to find an easier target somewhere else.

Mr. Herbert uses “facts” and numbers of homicides without stating where he got those “facts.”

Talking about the grief the officers’ families are going through, Detective Antonio Ciummo said, “They’re upset. They’re sad. They’re scared. They know it could happen to anyone.”

Exactly. It could happen anywhere. That is why responsible gun owners should be able to carry guns in every state of this great country.