Letter: Surprise

Stephen Marchetta, Naples


In Frank Englund's letter to the editor entitled "What if…" he argues that the Newtown elementary school massacre would never have happened if the teachers and principal had access to firearms and firearms training.

This highly irresponsible conclusion is entirely wrong and dangerous in a logical and practical sense.

In Englund's frightening version of America, a fast draw and superior firepower would keep us safe. However, any gunman having the element of surprise can quickly kill and injure many people with automatic and semi-automatic weapons before someone else has a chance to respond.

This would be true in any venue, not just schools, but also in churches, movie theaters and shopping centers, on the street and in your own home.

Even if every citizen at all times carried a weapon and had been trained in its use and maintained that proficiency over time, they would still not be safe from being shot due to a potential disadvantage in quickness and the element of surprise.

Englund overlooks the element of surprise on the part of the criminal and the immense firepower of modern weapons and overestimates the ability of the average citizen to effectively respond to a threat of gun violence. And many additional gun deaths result from suicide and accidental shootings, which he fails to address. Guns are a public safety menace and need to be drained from the country. The only answer to gun violence is to ban all guns.

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