RE: “Vermont's next gun debate heats up early” [News, Sept. 4]:
I would certainly hope that no one advocates stronger gun laws in Vermont without becoming familiar with the draconian and “War on Drugs”–like gun laws that have recently passed in our neighboring states.
The fact that crimes committed with guns in Vermont are, on a per-capita basis, low by any standard would hopefully be some evidence that our current legal framework is greatly preferable to the intense criminalization being pursued elsewhere.
Also - Vermont being a rural state - conventional arguments about calling the police as an “alternative” to self-defense is particularly ridiculous for a plurality of Vermonters who live, walk, and drive in the middle of nowhere.
Don't be afraid of your fellow citizens who are gun owners.