Floyd letter: Gun laws

After these horrific mass shootings, the immediate reaction of many is to impose stricter gun laws, but experience and common sense have shown us that lack of firearms for defense only renders the population more susceptible. Perpetrators of gun violence often choose venues where guns are banned — schools, government workplaces, churches. The cowards who commit these heinous acts deliberately choose to murder the defenseless.

Rather than restricting gun ownership further, better to have a small cadre of trained, licensed and armed citizens. Ideally, these individuals would have had prior military or law enforcement training and experience with the use of small firearms. These people would walk among us, armed and prepared to defend the defenseless. The privilege would require annual training and qualification, including basic psychological testing, as well as close personal scrutiny. These vetted individuals would be allowed to carry in areas that currently ban firearms, and would register with security authorities at those facilities ahead of time.

Police reaction times vary. Perhaps the knowledge by shooters that armed people could be among their potential victims would deter them from acting out their fantasies. If not, these armed citizens could at least have a chance to limit the carnage.

This story was originally published December 15, 2015 at 8:53 PM with the headline "Floyd letter: Gun laws."