Opinion: Keep all the guns you want — just don’t walk around armed in cities

To the editor: William Alexander shared important insights into Americans’ diverse views about guns, arguably illustrating the relevance here of both the 2nd and the 10th amendments to the Constitution. Power in some cases might be best left to the states and the people. (“What happened when a 64-year-old liberal attended his first NRA convention,” Opinion, May 11)

I was born and raised in Los Angeles County. My parents, both from rural Nebraska, where everyone had guns, couldn’t imagine why anyone in town would want a firearm.

I support, as a basic liberty, Americans’ right to own guns. I believe the presence of firearms creates a deterrent to state overreach.

At the same time, I do not want any American bearing loaded firearms in public, as I believe that freedom from fear that someone will shoot me or my children is also a basic right. To those who object, I offer simple logic: The more loaded guns there are in public, the more bullets will fly.

Even in the legendary Old West, cowboys had to “check their guns” at town limits.

Bob Wieting, Simi Valley

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To the editor: Hats off to Alexander for taking up shooting and joining the National Rifle Assn. Dismayed by the dogmatic, fundamentalist views of NRA conventioneers about gun control, he questions continuing his membership.

Maybe millions of reasonable people should join the NRA and seize majority influence. Then, by the power of their numbers, they can make the NRA primarily a gun safety and training organization instead of a lobby for the profiteers in the firearms industry.

Michael Krubiner, Valley Village

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