This is in response to Mr. McCormick’s letter to the editor published on Feb. 27.
I don’t believe Mr. McCormick understands the difference between a law abiding citizen and a criminal.
A criminal will not comply with a law that says they cannot carry a concealed weapon into a restaurant or that they cannot place a weapon in a glove box. A criminal will not concern themselves with illegally carrying the weapon into any restricted area. A criminal will violate the law regardless.
A law-abiding citizen on the other hand MUST comply with the law and must make the decision to waive their right to self-defense and of the defense of others or not enter into any restricted area.
Currently, a law abiding citizen must openly carry a pistol into a restaurant that serves alcohol. Proposed legislation will allow those with permits to ability to carry concealed as long as they don’t consume alcohol. This is a valid tradeoff especially considering that if you openly carry a pistol there is no law that says you cannot consume alcohol.
The proposed legislation makes sense and does not rob a law-abiding citizen of their right of self defense.
As for moving out of Virginia I don’t think you’ve done your research. Localities with more permissive gun rights have less crime than localities with more restrictive measures.
Check out the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Volume 30, Number 2, Spring 2007. An article named “Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide? A Review of International and Some Domestic Evidence” demonstrates a correlation between lower firearm access and higher crime rates.
So, next time if you see a citizen carrying openly, you would do well to thank that person for exercising that right so that you and your progeny may always have that option. Legal gun carriers are not vigilantes, they just believe that the lives of innocent persons are worth more than someone who would attack them.
But, if you’re really interested in moving Mr. McCormick, I would recommend Southeast Washington, D.C., or Prince George’s County. Both of those localities are ‘gun free zones.’
MARVIN MARIN
Dumfries
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