With our nation in the grip of gun violence, perhaps it’s time to remind our loyal gun-toting members of the National Rifle Association — and their political supporters in both parties — that being armed to the teeth and walking around like destitute cowboys does not make the environment safer for anyone.

Their theory that a well-armed citizenry will make the nation a safer place is utter nonsense, for this reason: The person hellbent on murder and mayhem holds all the cards, particularly that of surprise. He may well kill people before he either is killed or takes his own life, but by then, he has left behind nothing but carnage, as the most recent shootings in Texas and now in Atlanta — and Serbia — prove.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to permit people to openly carry guns in order to defend themselves may go down in this nation’s history as one of the worst decisions inflicted on this country. It suggests that we, the people, will be able to identify the good guys with a gun from the bad guys with a gun. That’s like suggesting we’d be able to walk through a minefield safely by identifying where the mines are exactly positioned. Good luck with that.

Patrick Myatt

Hawaii Kai

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