More handgun laws would only further restrict the ownership of firearms by law-abiding citizens, law's criminals don't comply with anyway.

The majority of handguns purchased today by law-abiding citizens are for self-defense, because all too often, you are the first and only line of defense between you and an intruder who is prepared to do harm to you and your family. Many will say that's why we have law enforcement but don't be naive. Law enforcement is out numbered, too few of them and too many criminals. In a perfect world, law enforcement would be pro-active, stopping crime before it occurs but in the real world, they are mostly reactive, usually responding to a crime already in progress or to one that has already occurred. I guess, if all could afford it, we should build a "safe" room in our home or business then hope we have enough time to get there and wait for help.

If an individual is set on doing harm to you, your family or the public, they will find a way. In the 1995 Oklahoma bombing, Timothy McVay killed 169 men, women and children using a mixture of fertilizer and fuel oil, materials available to anyone. On March 3, 2006, Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar drove his rented Jeep Cherokee into a crowd of students at the University of North Carolina. Luckily he didn't kill anyone, but that was his intent. After his surrender, he was charged with nine counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious bodily injury, and then there was Lizzie Borden and her ax.

Almost everything in our everyday life, if in the wrong hands, can be used as a weapon. The knife you use to cut your steak, the hammer you built your house with, your child's Little League bat. We all seem to have forgotten that the caveman discovered the first weapon used for self-defense; it was called a rock.

Personally, I won't wait for help that may not get there in time, I can't take a "safe" room with me, and don't want to rely on the effectiveness of a rock for protection. I don't think anyone would argue against my right to protect my family or self, and if a gun is my choice as a first line of defense, that too is my right. A gun in the hands of a well-trained individuals is no more dangerous than that steak knife or baseball bat, and if I were asked to back any additional gun legislation, it would only be for a law that required handgun proficient training before you could purchase one. Oh, I forgot, we already have a law that requires that.

Joe Dirickx

Jackson