Keep fear, guns in check

The tragic case of the toddler shooting his mother in a Hayden store speaks to an epidemic of fear that has taken over our nation. Why does a person need a loaded gun to shop for clothes and groceries? Am I missing something, or is there a threat worse than trans-fats and sugars lurking in the supermarket aisles?

The only reason I would carry a lethal weapon would be to face an imminent obvious threat. Why else? Are all you concealed-carry advocates scared stiff of someone or something? Maybe you are all on the way to target practice. If so, why not leave the weapon in a locked area of your vehicle? Tell me, what scares you so much?

Fear is an emotional reaction. Fear of a specific threat is understandable, but generalized fear that prompts the need to carry a lethal weapon at all times is not rational.

The other issue is that it is obvious that the mother who put her weapon in reach of a small child was not exercising responsible safety measures.

What frightens me is that you or I could have been the victim.

Ann Warwick

Sandpoint