Good guys with guns getting shot by police

Recently we saw the deaths of two men at the hands of police. One was a security guard in a bar holding a gun on a suspected shooter. The other was a man legally carrying a gun who was near a shooting in progress at a mall. Both men were black.

One issue here is that of policemen who shoot at whoever is carrying a gun. Another issue is whether the color of those shot caused them to be targeted. Still to be determined is whether someone with a legal permit to carry a weapon makes our society safer or whether it puts the carrier in danger as law enforcement can't determine who is the perpetrator when several guns are seen.

Those who advocate more guns in more hands, including the National Rifle Association, like to say that "Nothing stops a bad guy with a gun like a good guy with a gun". It seems that in these two horrifying incidents, the "Good guys" are the ones who paid with their lives.

Maybe the solution is not more guns, but fewer guns. Those responsible for protecting us shouldn't have to worry whether the gun they see is the actual shooter or someone with a gun trying to help.

Karen Wagner

Rolling Meadows