Letter: Respect guns and right to own them

Friday, May 18, 2007 | 7:20 a.m.

The commentary in the Las Vegas Sun from The Providence (R.I.) Journal's M.J. Andersen ("What does it take to change minds on guns?" May 16) failed to see the big picture in the gun debate. All in all, it's not the use of the firearm in self-defense or defense of others, it's the question of what effect the existence of weapons in general circulation makes on the criminal culture.

The tragic events of the recent past, including those at Virginia Tech, could have been anywhere else and had the same result. Predators - that's who these killers are - go where the prey is least likely to fight back. People who own guns tend to be more familiar with the law, more law-abiding and, from a personal stand point, less likely to actually use a weapon than people think.

Personally, in nearly 20 years of owning firearms, I drew (but did not discharge) a firearm twice in my own defense. In most instances, especially when I am with my kids and wife, I find myself looking for ways out of a situation, not into one.

The ownership of a weapon comes with great responsibility, the respect one has for the devastating power of a gun must always stay in one's mind. Pulling the trigger could have legal and social implications for decades; these things are not thought of by the criminal but by the law-abiding citizen who carries the knowledge of his responsibility.

It would be wonderful if we could depend on the police to be everywhere and respect our rights and still be able to protect us from the bad guys, but alas they are not charged with that task nor would they able to complete it if they were.

Warren Markowitz, Las Vegas