Letter: Why should only police have guns?

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Hypothesis:

All of us law-abiding citizens would agree to give up our guns and "license to carry" permits on the condition that all law enforcement officers would do the same.

The protest would be deafening! They would retort, "We face bad guys who have guns!"

We would reply, "Bad guys with guns break into our homes and we, unlike law enforcement officers, do not have the luxury of a 'take-home patrol car' parked in our driveways that says to the bad guys, 'There's a gun in that house and someone who is trained and knows how to use it.' The bad guys move on to a softer victim."

I believe law enforcement officers should have their weapons to protect themselves when in "harm's way." I wish certain politicians understood everyday citizens should enjoy that same opportunity.

Steve Baucum

Midvale