Blame guns’ users
One segment of a disturbing newscast said that in the United States: “More than 30,000 people are killed by guns each year.” Another segment said, “Thirty-two police officers have been killed by firearms in 2016.” The show ended by saying, “Twelve people were killed in Berlin by a truck.”
It would have been more accurate to say that those people were killed “ by people using guns” and by “a person in a truck.”
A gun in a safe place can remain there for millennia without causing harm. But a gun, misused, can cause a serious or fatal accident, and a gun in the hands of an evil-minded person can be used to wreak havoc or cause death.
Take all guns away and a problem has not been solved. The person determined to do evil can and will find a weapon — knife, club, truck — to achieve his ends. It is not the gun but the mind-set of the user that determines the outcome.
Howard Coop
Lancaster
This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Blame guns’ users."