Choose to break cycle of violence

Here we go: as the mortality data from motor vehicle accidents trends downward, that line on the graph meets a rise in the death rate from firearms. (Dec. 18 article, “Guns now kill as many people as cars in U.S.”) Also, two-thirds of firearms-related fatalities are suicide.

Now begins the vitriolic cascade from over-zealous gun owners and their pandering, conservative patrons in elected office: blame the liberal media bias, enforce the laws already on the books, the Second Amendment is sacrosanct, only the outlaws will have guns, etc. And let’s not forget to blame Obama, of course.

Let’s just set all that aside for a moment.

If you are a gun owner, please ask yourself, “why?” Are you worried about drug addicts breaking into your house? They’re usually in such bad shape already that they’d scarcely be able to defend themselves from a 5-iron, let alone five bullets to the chest.

Violence invariably perpetuates more violence. The morbid exception to that cycle would be: suicide. Bad idea, bad choice.

You’re perfectly within your rights to own a gun, of course.

I choose not to own a gun, thank you.

Andy Dockhorn

Everett