Mike
Site Co-Founder
imported post
Good letter - we need more letters folks - keep them short - even shorter than below to get more published and make one clear point!
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http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/-249874--.html
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I read with interest David Whiting's front-page article regarding the open-carry demonstration in Whole Foods in Tustin Saturday ["Their cause is open carry," Front Page, May 17]. In it, David mentioned that some of the shoppers felt a bit intimidated at the sight of holstered handguns, and it reminded me of another grocery store story that took place in December, 2003.
In that event, a man who had gone off his medication walked into an Albertson's in Irvine, pulled out a Samurai sword and began hacking at whomever he could as he wandered down the isles. Someone of course called 911, but it took seven minutes for the police to arrive. Do you know how much damage a crazy man with a sword can do in 7 minutes? Would to God someone with a loaded weapon had been shopping in that store that day. Or just this month, a woman in a West Hollywood Target store pulls out two knives and starts slashing at shoppers. Fortunately, an off-duty a policeman was shopping in the store at the time, and was able to pull his weapon and subdue and arrest the attacker. But what is he hadn't been there.
. . .
As it was, four shoppers, including a woman with a baby, were slashed before the officer was able to stop her. Which leads me to my final point: decent, honorable people with guns are no threat to society, and in fact, can often make a critical life-and-death difference when the unthinkable happens.
This is particularly important in the coming elections for sheriff, because Sandra Hutchens, the current sheriff-appointee, has it as her policy to deprive the public the protection of honorable and vetted citizens who are willing to carry concealed and be that first-responder defense between when 911 is called, and when the police arrive. Both Bill Hunt and Craig Hunter, the other candidates, have made it clear that they differ significantly from Sheriff Hutchins on this issue. So the next time you see an "open-carry" citizen, thank them for their demonstration; David was right, on that day at Whole Foods, there was a "visible deterrent to crime."
And this June when you go to the polls, be sure to cast a vote for your own safety when voting for sheriff. The distinction between Sheriff Hutchins and the other two candidates is significant, and if it's you in the store next time when all hell breaks loose, how you voted may prove critical.
Dan McManus
Good letter - we need more letters folks - keep them short - even shorter than below to get more published and make one clear point!
--
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/-249874--.html
---
I read with interest David Whiting's front-page article regarding the open-carry demonstration in Whole Foods in Tustin Saturday ["Their cause is open carry," Front Page, May 17]. In it, David mentioned that some of the shoppers felt a bit intimidated at the sight of holstered handguns, and it reminded me of another grocery store story that took place in December, 2003.
In that event, a man who had gone off his medication walked into an Albertson's in Irvine, pulled out a Samurai sword and began hacking at whomever he could as he wandered down the isles. Someone of course called 911, but it took seven minutes for the police to arrive. Do you know how much damage a crazy man with a sword can do in 7 minutes? Would to God someone with a loaded weapon had been shopping in that store that day. Or just this month, a woman in a West Hollywood Target store pulls out two knives and starts slashing at shoppers. Fortunately, an off-duty a policeman was shopping in the store at the time, and was able to pull his weapon and subdue and arrest the attacker. But what is he hadn't been there.
. . .
As it was, four shoppers, including a woman with a baby, were slashed before the officer was able to stop her. Which leads me to my final point: decent, honorable people with guns are no threat to society, and in fact, can often make a critical life-and-death difference when the unthinkable happens.
This is particularly important in the coming elections for sheriff, because Sandra Hutchens, the current sheriff-appointee, has it as her policy to deprive the public the protection of honorable and vetted citizens who are willing to carry concealed and be that first-responder defense between when 911 is called, and when the police arrive. Both Bill Hunt and Craig Hunter, the other candidates, have made it clear that they differ significantly from Sheriff Hutchins on this issue. So the next time you see an "open-carry" citizen, thank them for their demonstration; David was right, on that day at Whole Foods, there was a "visible deterrent to crime."
And this June when you go to the polls, be sure to cast a vote for your own safety when voting for sheriff. The distinction between Sheriff Hutchins and the other two candidates is significant, and if it's you in the store next time when all hell breaks loose, how you voted may prove critical.
Dan McManus