A Tip for Bob Tanabe

Today we received a FAX of an NBC release for today’s news programs. It relates to a 3-year-old child who shot his 10-year-old sister with his mother’s gun....the girl is in serious condition as we write this.

Some years ago a family moved into a house across the street from us. Their move was prompted by the death of their 13-year- old son, shot accidentally by a neighborhood playmate?the mother of the dead boy could no longer face the close proximity of the boy and the family moved to our neighborhood.

Surely all of us hear of these tragic incidents all too often. Less often do we hear of deaths as a result of robberies or even home intrusions, frightening as those incidents may be. And the idea of sleeping with a gun under one’s pillow? Idiocy!

Mr. Tanabe is certainly entitled to his own opinions, but to insult a law enforcement officer (who perhaps has better knowledge and experience regarding guns in homes) with terms like “arrogant,” “worthless” and “idiotic” more accurately describe Mr. Tanabe himself. Mr. Tanabe does not know Detective Murphy, therefore has no basis for his assumption that Det. Murphy “dishes out senseless advice but exempts himself from such stupidity.” We do know Detective Murphy and also know he does not “sleep with his loaded gun,” nor does he have his “daily donut.”

We can only hope Mr. Tanabe does not have small children in his home because even if he has tried to teach them that guns are not toys he still places any child in his home at high risk?and that applies to any neighborhood playmate as well.

Joanne and Gray Berg

La Cañada