I applaud the Snohomish County Council’s decision to allow guns in county parks. What some people don’t realize is that everywhere they go, there are law-abiding citizens carrying loaded weapons, concealed from view.
They are in Starbucks, and the grocery stores, movie theaters and restaurants, and the county, state and federal parks. These people have passed a background check and applied to carry a concealed weapon, and they have been granted that license by the local police.
Since criminals obviously disregard the law, to ban weapons in parks the government would have to set up access points to the parks similar to those at the airports, to check each individual desiring entry.
Law-abiding, weapons-carrying citizens are much like additional unpaid security personnel. If there had been such a person in the coffee shop where four police officers were shot and killed (by a criminal who obviously had an illegal weapon) they just might have been able to save some of those officers. So when you go to the parks, just hope that some of these armed citizens are around to help protect those who aren’t armed from criminals who disregard the law.
It is a great idea to thank a police officer, firefighter and military service personnel for their service, but you won’t get that opportunity for the concealed weapons license holders, as you will never know who they are, or if they are carrying their weapon. Just be thankful.
Tom Green
Everett
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