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Land of the free?

This last spring I safely and happily walked along busy streets, and attended live theater, outdoor athletic competitions, outdoor performances, busy shopping malls and even an elementary school fair, all by myself, at night, in two major metropolitan cities.

Sadly, I was not in the United States, where safe activities don’t include going to the movies or meandering on university campuses. I was in Scotland, then Ireland, where only farmers are licensed to own guns, meaning that they are not issued to municipal police or non-farmer citizens.

Now, where is the land of the free?

Janet Gillespie

Spokane



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