An inflammatory headline

This letter is written in response to “State shutting down NRA’s ‘murder insurance’ policies,” (Jan. 16):

It must have been a staff writer’s dream to conflate the words “NRA” and “murder” in an above-the-fold, front-page headline. Mischaracterizing a legitimate personal liability policy as “murder insurance,” implying that legally-armed citizens might get away with murder simply by having financial protection against costly litigation following a self-defense incident, is frankly slanderous. Only gun-control fanatics use that term. When you finally discover (page 7) why these policies are no longer sold in Washington, allegedly immunizing oneself against criminal acts is not the reason.

Fact: Anyone using a firearm in self-defense will be subject to the legal process. Those who run afoul of lawful use should be (and have been) held responsible for their actions. But attaining justice in such cases can be prohibitively expensive for the average citizen; hence the need for carry insurance. Did you think criminals were buying such policies?

Self-defense is not a crime, and the informational value of this entire article could have been maintained without using such a biased, pejorative term. Instead, the writer’s word choice intentionally depicts responsible, law-abiding citizens as would-be killers. That’s despicable. Shame on you.

John Lyons

Spokane