THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602230013
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
How touching that Governor Allen was concerned about his children when a crazy gunman was arrested near his home. Unfortunately, the rest of us don't have a platoon of policemen to guard us from lunatics carrying guns under the governor's concealed-weapons law.
At some point, the person arrested appeared normal enough to obtain a gun, no doubt legally, under this state government controlled by wealthy gun lobbyists. Who among us can spot such a deranged person carrying a concealed weapon in a restaurant, a church, a grocery store, a mall or anywhere people gather? Nobody knows until something snaps and the gun is used to kill or wound innocent people.
At about the same time, our public-safety officials were saving the governor and his family from the threat of gunfire, the House of Delegates was busy killing a measure which would have prohibited the carrying of guns into a Roanoke city park. A similar bill for a park in Richmond passed last year, and Governor Allen vetoed it. Could that have been the park where, as he expressed concern, his children ``could easily have been out saucering or sledding''?
Does the governor understand that thousands of Virginia's parents are also concerned when they see their kids off to school or to the movies or to visit friends or, yes, to go sledding?
Common sense should dictate that guns, being very dangerous, should be owned only by responsible citizens. We license auto drivers; we should license gun owners. Cars are registered; guns should be registered.
We are entering a new century. Let's begin by not having to worry if everybody's kids are going to make it safely through another day.
RICHARD G. PARISE
Virginia Beach, Feb. 5, 1996
Editor's note: Mr. Parise is a former president of Virginians Against Handgun Violence. by CNB