To the Editor:
I speak from personal experience when I say I’m encouraged Easton is considering a gun safety ordinance. Guns of all types present a clear and present danger and we must assert our rights to be protected from their misuse.
My own experience began with the annoyance brought about by a neighbor’s prolonged target practice with various guns. While gardening, sitting on the deck with friends or playing with our grandchildren, we felt extreme discomfort. We had the sense of being under attack. And though I told myself we were safe, my body wasn’t convinced.
It turns out my body knew well the dangers that exist.
One day, last October, while making my bed, I discovered sharp wooden splinters in my headboard. Upon closer examination, I discovered a hole in the wall and a bullet lodged in the headboard itself. The Easton police determined that a bullet shot from a semi-automatic rifle, used by our target-practicing neighbor, had penetrated our home.
The shooter was playing Russian roulette with other people’s lives. The threat presented is clear. How many other bullets had found their way into our trees, and our living space? How many others had sped into neighbors’ yards?
A good gun-safety ordinance can be finessed to meet the needs of Easton. Those of us who aren’t gun owners may not know the intricacies of gun storage, but we do know that we have the right to be protected from the discharge of lethal weapons in our immediate surroundings. It’s not just the noise factor, which in itself is egregious, but is a matter of protecting our safety. We, our friends, our pets and yes, our grandchildren deserve to be secure. Let’s do what we can to prevent exposing them to unnecessary risks.
A gun ordinance makes good sense.
Cleo Sonneborn
Lobdell Lane, Easton