Change crime prevention

I grew up in a time when cars and houses were not locked. Times change. With deep budget cuts to law enforcement, what is a property owner to do? Leaving a car idling unlocked is stupid, but stupidity isn’t against the law – not yet.

The shooter effectively prevented further tragedy from a speeding deadly weapon racing through the streets, plowing through innocent victims. For such acts, there should be a Citizen’s Valor Award, certainly not incarceration.

When will the legislative and judicial systems adapt to the changes in our society? The shooter has. When will lawmakers realize that American citizens are sick and tired of being bullied by lawless acts?

If criminals know they cannot hide behind the laws of the land and will no longer be mollycoddled, they will cease and desist with their wayward ways.

Criminals are smart enough to know how to thread their way through our legal system. They choose to commit crimes simply because it’s easier than ditch digging, and they know the law shields them from angry citizens willing to use deadly force to protect life, limb and property. Give law-abiding citizens the right to protect themselves, and crime will drop dramatically.

David Michaelson

Harrington, Wash.