Jim Gonzales
Vail, CO, Colorado

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January 13, 2013
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Vail Daily letter: I'll take a fighting chance

I am writing in response to a recent letter in which the author (Harry Bornstein) states that armed guards in schools will do nothing to protect students. In his scenario at Sandy Hook, the armed guard there would have been killed instantly.

I am not so cynical. In my version, the guard kills the cowardly shooter (I refuse to use his name) before he kills anyone.

In the Aurora theater, Henry, you are wrong. An armed citizen could have stopped the coward outright, saving lives. You refuse to acknowledge that scenario as well.

You're angry at the NRA but fail to realize that the gun is why the USA exists as the greatest free nation on Earth. When the King imposed harsh taxes and tried to disarm his subjects, it brought on the Revolutionary War. The superior guns of the militia won the war. There is no queen on our money.

You tout the gun control in Japan as a model but fail to remember that we disarmed that country for good reasons. We made them subjects and instituted a new government.

England, where guns are outlawed for the most part, has a violent crime rate that is 3.5 times greater than ours. And in the United States, the highest violent crime rates are in our bigger cities and poorest neighborhoods. Go to YouTube and type in "choose your own crime statistics" for some eye-opening statistics.

You ask if anyone in Eagle County or Colorado has used a gun to protect him or herself? I have several family members in law enforcement, and my cousin drew his gun as Asian gang members were beating him. He never fired the gun, but saved his live.

In the Oregon mall shooting, a citizen with a concealed carry weapon confronted the shooter as his gun jammed. He did not fire, but scared the shooter off. The shooter then committed suicide.

In the events you describe, you state that not one would have been prevented by any armed citizen or armed guard. I beg to differ. Tell that to the patrons in the China Garden restaurant and in the Santiko Mayan 14 Theater Complex In San Antonio, Texas.

A shooter went to the restaurant where he worked. He began shooting, and scared patrons fled into a nearby theater. The shooter followed and began shooting, wounding one person. Sgt. Lisa Castellano was working security at the San Antonio theater. She instructed patrons to get down and ran in the direction of the gunfire, where she confronted the shooter and shot him several times, saving countless lives. Go to ksat.com for the full story. That happened on Dec. 17, but the mainstream media won't carry it.

According to the armed citizen, a 12-year-old girl saved her life by shooting a man who broke into her house. She called her mother, who instructed her to get the glock and hide in the bathroom closet. As he opened the door, she shot him, saving her life.

In another instance, a man was going outside to investigate why the power had gone out. At the last second, his wife insisted that he take his gun. As he opened the door, three criminals burst in. He pushed her aside and shot the three assailants, saving both of their lives.

And finally, there was the single mother who was on the phone with the 911 operator, asking if she could shoot the man who was trying to force his way into her home. She was scared for her life. She had recently lost her husband and had a very young child. She shot him and saved her life. This made national news.

I could go on and on, but guns do save lives on a daily basis in homes, on the street, in businesses - everywhere.

I, for one, would rather be armed and have a fighting chance to save my life and that of my loving family than to have no chance at all. I was taught the proper use of firearms by my parents and use them in shooting sports and hunting. I have passed that knowledge down to my children and grandchildren.

I think that makes me a responsible parent and grandparent, not a gun nut as you seem to label everyone who owns guns. We know how to handle firearms, respect their power and respect life.

Jim Gonzales

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The VailDaily Updated Jan 13, 2013 02:58PM Published Jan 13, 2013 02:57PM Copyright 2013 The VailDaily. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.