Shotguns for Officers

Re “Shotguns OKd for Motorcycle Officers,” April 2.

Years ago, in response to aspirin commercials declaring that “no matter how big the pain, we’ve got relief,” a friend whimsically wondered if someday people would be taking two-pound aspirin tablets to fend off pain caused by bigger and meaner headaches. Her implication was that people were less concerned about removing causes of pain and distress and were becoming content to numb all pain with increasingly stronger analgesics.

There is a connection between that thought and our police force carrying shotguns and .45-caliber pistols to fend off bigger and meaner weapons carried by street thugs. As things stand, there is no choice. Police personnel must be able to protect the city and themselves.

When are we going to deal with causes behind the need to carry such weapons? When will various groups stop bickering and work toward common goals, recognizing that if we keep going in this direction, there’s not going to be a gun (or an aspirin) big or powerful enough to stop the pain of what our world will become in 10 years?

MARIE MARTIN

Sherman Oaks