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No shot

Reading Mr. Schmutter’s letter in the May 1 edition of NJJN (“The best defense”), I thought it was an ad for the NRA.

It’s truly a shame to read such discredited positions — suggesting that the more guns the better and perhaps we should simply arm everybody from age six up — and this would be a better
world.

It seems to escape Mr. Schmutter, as well as far too many people in this country, that simply put, more guns equals more killing. There is no mystery and no surprise to the fact that this country, which has so many guns in so many hands, also has just about the highest murder rate by guns of any so-called civilized nation in the world. The only problems with New Jersey’s restrictive gun laws are that they are not restrictive enough and that they have not been embraced by all 50 states.

To suggest, as an example, that a heavily armed populace would have prevented, or more quickly have stopped, the recent Kansas shooting, is simply illogical and borders on madness. When trained police officers involved in a shootout often miss their mark and sometimes even wound passers by, it is lunacy to suggest that arming the general citizenry would be to our benefit. All that will do is guarantee more shootings, more killings. The answer to this problem is fewer guns, in fewer hands, not the heinous opposite.

Kalman A. Barson
Somerville

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