When the Bullets Fly, It’s Time to Head Home

Re “There’s Little Comfort in a Balance of Terror” (Tim Rutten, May 21):

I am a registered nurse in the emergency room at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. I am one of the first to see the victims of violence.

Why are some people out in the middle of the night? I wonder how many would not be shot, stabbed, beaten or raped if they were somewhere else.

One innocent victim was the 14-year-old girl who was shot twice in a drive-by. She said she was talking with her friends on a street corner at 3 o’clock in the morning.

Last July 27 an apparent member of the Soto Street gang was brought in. I took care of him from the moment he arrived until the moment he died. That 16-year-old boy, a mere child, should have been home at 2 a.m. when the paramedics brought him in.

As far as I know, they weren’t teasing the enemy. They weren’t taunting death. But for these innocent victims, it just didn’t matter.

I know very little about these people, but if they had just been somewhere else those nights instead of where they were, the acts of violence might not have happened. Neither the police nor gun control legislation are the bearers of responsibility for our safety.

If you feel the need to carry a firearm in a certain area or situation, ask yourself this question: Is it absolutely necessary that I be here? If the answer is no, don’t put more bullets in your gun. Go home.

DAVID PAUL I. NIXON

Los Angeles