December 19, 2012

Would Harmon have armed teachers in Conn.?

Letter to the Editor

"If more murder victims had guns, maybe they wouldn't be killed."

This was the headline above M.D. Harmon's column on Dec. 8. I have never read such illogical nonsense in my life.

Harmon's rant was aimed at Bob Costa's comment on Sunday Night Football that if Jovan Belcher (Kansas City and University of Maine linebacker) hadn't had a gun, both he and Kasandra Perkins would still be alive today.

Harmon's convoluted reasoning concluded that Belcher could have used a kitchen knife or his bare hands to achieve the same result. Therefore, don't blame the gun.

I am not blaming the gun, but who can deny that having it readily available makes it much easier to use. And that is exactly what Harmon concludes near the end of his article when he says: "What will stop a shooter is another person willing and able to shoot back."

And, "So, to correct Costas' mistake, if Kasandra Perkins had a gun, that is what could have helped her be alive today."

Just try to visualize that. Kasandra would have had to ask Jovan to hold off for a moment so she could pull her loaded pistol out of her pants pocket, and then they could talk about it!

I never have been a fan Harmon's, but now I have lost all respect for him.

It's unlikely that Harmon would suggest that had the teachers and kids been armed the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., would have been averted, so let's hear from him with his solution.

Frank Ridley

Solon

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send question/comment to the editors




Further Discussion

Here at OnlineSentinel.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most…