THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 18, 1996 TAG: 9603150026
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
In her arguments against Virginia's new concealed-weapon-permit law (``Good people also kill,'' letter, March 8), Patty Masterson of Virginians Against Handgun Violence cites the tragedy of a husband who shot and killed his wife and her male friend and then himself. She suggests the husband's gun permit was somehow responsible for the tragedy, arguing, I suppose, that without the permit, the shooting would not have occurred. Remarkable!
Did the husband already possess a gun, even without a permit, which is perfectly legal so long as it is not concealed? Can she be certain that in an explosive domestic tragedy such as this, another nonfirearm weapon would not have been used?
Strangely, Ms. Masterson's criticisms appear in the same letter in which she acknowledges the daily blood bath stemming from the drug business and drive-by shootings, which have become commonplace.
The real tragedy is that society and groups like hers are unable to deal effectively with random street violence, so they turn to easier targets involving the vast majority of citizens who just happen to be law-abiding.
By the way, I don't even own a handgun. Yet.
CHARLIE DAVIS
Midlothian, March 8, 1996 by CNB