Editor:
Emily Rodriguez-Vargas’ first point is about curious, naïve children (“Guns shouldn’t be recreational,” Dec. 11). Children, as they grow, need to learn about all the dangers they might face. This includes guns, knives, hammers, ammonia, ovens, strangers, traffic, heights and water, just to name a few. The standard procedure is to keep them away from your child’s reach until they can be taught, then teach them why they are dangerous and how to use them safely. Then they won’t be naïve as to what these items do.
Rodriguez-Vargas said guns should only be thought of as a necessity to provide food and self-protection. The purpose of target shooting and clay pigeon shooting is practice. Practice is necessary for both hunting and defensive shooting because in order to be able to provide food for your family or defend yourself in a violent encounter, you must be able to hit what you are shooting at. The challenge of being able to control where the bullets land is where the fun comes in, just like the fun of golf is getting the ball in the hole.
What is wrong with learning how to be aggressive with a weapon? If the legitimate purpose of a gun is to be able to defend yourself, when you are assaulted you are going to need to tap into some major aggression in order to kill the other guy before they kill you.
Dave Sohm,
Senior, Mass Communication