Don’t need your concealed weapon

This letter was written in response to the letter to the editor titled, “We have got your back,” (April 1).

A handful of Detroit firearms instructors criticized the woman’s decision to pull her pistol and fire it in a busy public place when nothing but property was at stake (Home Depot, 2014). “It’s my worst nightmare as a [concealed pistol license] instructor,” Doreen Hankins told the Detroit Free Press. “You have to know the entire situation before you pull that handgun out. And I don’t see that a shoplifter at Home Depot fills any of those criteria.”

All three instructors agreed the woman had overreacted. “In that situation personally, there’s no way I would be shooting my gun,” Dawn Martin, another instructor, told the Free Press. “None of it makes sense,” Hankins said. “Even if it were law enforcement, they wouldn’t do that.” “You are not a police officer,” she added, referring to concealed gun license holders. “You are not a person out there protecting the public at large.” Those who draw their pieces too quickly and frivolously fire at people can face serious felony charges, from the reckless use of a firearm to assault.

Akua Lum-Reeser

Spokane