GUNS: Fair should be unarmed

Regarding the article “Guns — but not gunshots – expected at Fair,” this article is very one sided. We should all be free to live without the fear of being shot. I’m a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and believe that there is a time and a place for guns — our fair is not one of them.

The article says gun-free areas are “soft targets.” There’s no data to support the myth that “more guns lead to less crime.” If more guns and fewer gun laws made us safer, we would be the safest country in the world. But we aren’t.

Moms Demand Action is anti-gun violence, not anti-gun. Many of our members own guns. What we want are legally mandated responsibilities to go along with the right of gun ownership.

As the article notes, the police chiefs in Ada County agree that the lack of a permitting system in Idaho has made their jobs more difficult in determining if a person is a felon or dangerous person who should be prohibited from possessing a firearm. Law enforcement officers overwhelmingly agree that armed citizens make their jobs harder. Following the shooting of 12 police officers at a demonstration where dozens of open carry activists were present, then-Dallas police chief David Brown said, “We don’t know who the good guy is versus the bad guy when everyone starts shooting.” This should concern us all.

ALICE ARAMBARRI

North Idaho Group Leader

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America