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Further, what astounds us is that we were about 15 seconds away from the shooting zone in a country that permits people to carry such arms — 15 seconds later, and it could have cost one or both of us our lives.

This woman had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. She did not have the right to carry it in her purse, loaded with the safety off, in a shopping cart, with her two-year-old son sitting beside it. For laws to allow this situation to exist is irresponsible and allows too much room for human error. The child had access to a loaded weapon and killed his mom.

The screams of pain and agony from the other three children as they saw their mother die will not soon leave our hearts or souls. Shame on administration at any level that allows this sort of possibility by lack of proper governance to a point where simple human error can result in such loss, in a very public situation. This type of event leads me to believe none of us has the right to say we live in a civilized world. These children are scarred for life.

Tom Hall, Calgary

What’s to come

Re: “Prentice facing pivotal year on financial fronts,” Dec. 30.

The first phase of communication has prepared the public for a period of restraint. Low oil prices clearly have a major impact on government revenues. The second phase will focus on how to respond. There seem to be three options. First is to restrict expenditures. Delays in expansion of the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and full-day kindergarten are recent examples.This will be the major policy focus.