To the editor: Regarding the shooting at the Costco in Corona, one letter writer said, “Please remind me about how guns make us safer.” She made her request rhetorically, but I am happy to answer.

We can sleep reasonably securely at night, knowing that most criminals are too afraid to break into an occupied home. A firearm also enhances safety for the disabled, weak, old or sick, who might otherwise be at the mercy of predators.

We have a right to life and we have a right to defend that life. The only practical way for the average person to do so is with a firearm. The fact that some people abuse this right does not mean that we should ban guns any more than we should ban cars because of drunk drivers.

It has been estimated that guns are used defensively more than 1 million times annually. In most cases, the gun is not fired. No news is good news, so we don’t hear of this, while gun crime is hyped endlessly.


Jaco van der Colff, Woodland Hills