What if a violent criminal, heavily armed, came into a place of business with one of those posters on the door [Centerfold, June]? Knowing that there was no one else armed, he/she would have full authority to rob, rape, or murder any/all in the place. What is the harm in letting responsible citizens trying to legally protect themselves? As a Minnesotan transplanted to Florida, I was uncomfortable with Florida’s carry laws when I first moved down. After living here for the first year I realized that self-protection is a right, not a privilege. Florida has very strict laws against the misuse of firearms. This instills the huge responsibility of carrying a weapon on you, in your car, or having one in your home, and it is not taken lightly. There are guns everywhere here, and you never see or hear them. Every one knows this, including the criminals. The crime rate has been so drastically reduced by Florida’s carry law that other states have patterned their own laws after it, now including Minnesota. Finally, the picture of an AK-47 held by a “traditional looking housewife” (which alludes to some nostalgic sexism) pointed at the viewer is a purposeful scare tactic by its author, and reeks of anti-gun liberalism. You take that same liberal, have him beaten, robbed, raped, or worse by some violent criminal and I bet he/she joins the NRA the day they are released from the hospital if he/she lives.
E.V. Sandberg
Naples, Florida
Your poster for banning concealed carry guns is a little confusing. The cute, dramatic picture has nothing to do with the MPPA law that was recently passed. There is no way that the firearm in the picture could be concealed. The main thing that upsets me is the anti-gun groups’ apparent need to appeal to the masses on an emotional level, rather than a factual, logical level. I firmly believe that your emotional sensationalism will soon be realized by the majority of the citizens of Minnesota, and eventually they search for the truth on their own, rather than blindly believe what the high-profile media feeds us.
Jeff Hanson
Eagan
I feel the need to speak out for those of us who do not feel threatened by the prospect of law abiding citizens carrying weapons. I am not afraid of being blasted out of my seat in church by another permit-carrying parishoner because I know that in the 34 other states that have similar laws on the books, not one incident has ever been recorded of a lawfully permitted carrier shooting another citizen. On the contrary, there are several incidents on record of permitted carriers actually helping out police in high risk situations. These incidents prove that we can trust which side of the law permitted carriers are on. The right side!
Carol Ann Ince
Minneapolis
Oliver Tuanis responds: Your claim that “not one incident has ever been recorded of a lawfully permitted carrier shooting another citizen” is so easily rebutted that it seems a bit like shooting fish in a barrel. A one-minute Internet search reveals that The Texas Department of Public Safety documented more than 5,300 arrests of permit holders between 1996 and 2001, including 41 for murder or attempted murder, 79 for rape or sexual assault, and 279 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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