Perhaps other people wonder about the questions in Nancy Parson’s letter of January 18, 2013 in the Laconia Daily Sun. (See: http://issuu.com/dailysun/docs/lds1-18-13 ) My beliefs are based on the following: True safety requires consideration of reality not wishes. If anyone is hurt during a crime, it should be the criminal not the intended victim. Criminals will ignore gun laws and get the guns they want. Lack of accurate information causes many people to irrationally fear guns in the hands of law abiding Americans.
First. I lived most of my life outside of New Hampshire in states with very restrictive gun laws so initially it felt strange to see armed civilians. All those other states have much higher crime rates than New Hampshire, and I feel much safer in New Hampshire where criminals aren’t assured of helpless victims.
Second. A common question among people who know nothing about guns is about “how many bullets does one need?” The answer is, it depends.
Anyone who thinks you only need one or two bullets should go to a shooting range (there is one in Belmont) and shoot at a target (they’ll help you). Then consider how hard it is to hit a flying bird or a running, jumping and turning animal.
Self-defense is another matter. To an unpredictably moving target, add in surprise, fear, perhaps terror, attempts to corral and calm children, calling the police for help, perhaps an angry attacker shooting at you, and our natural hesitancy to shoot another human.