LETTERS: Gun license is a liability, Abortion not settled

Gun license is a liability

License to carry a handgun: What does it mean? Conceal carry seems to be the better choice if you ever carry. No one needs to know what you have and you are in less danger of becoming a target by criminals who need that weapon more than you do. Open carry can be compared to wearing a huge diamond ring for everyone to see and become a target for criminals.

Your No. 1 concern is to avoid prison time for doing something that you see as right but our justice system sees it as criminal. Because you have a weapon, don’t feel obligated to interfere in stopping criminal activity. Example: You see a man and woman struggling at your local supermarket parking lot and feel obligated to interfere. Stop, do not do it. Domestic violence is the police officer’s greatest threat. Let’s say you interfere and both parties turn to attack you, “the good Samaritan,” and file charges against you at the police department. Now you need to hire a lawyer to fight the charges and it will be a losing battle for you. To be followed by a civil lawsuit just adds more drama to the insult.

Let’s look at taking out your weapon for whatever reason. If you take your weapon out and point it at the sky, floor to stop a threat, the other party will report to the police that you assaulted him and you will be charged with assault. Now set’s say you point the weapon at the other party; the other party will report that you pointed a firearm at him/her. Now, the level of charge increases because it went from assault to deadly assault because you pointed the weapon at the other party. What is the difference? Assault is five years and deadly assault is 10 years in prison. So, is it worth it? No it is not worth it.

There is more of a chance for you to make a mistake and end up in prison than becoming a victim of a crime. Having a license to carry a handgun is more of a liability than security. It is better to keep it at home and the range to avoid legal problems that will happen, just because you are carrying. See a problem, call the police; you are not liable to stop any crime, just report it and write down what you saw.

Rafael Madrigal

Pharr

Abortion not settled

In her Sept. 30 commentary, Christian F. Nunes, president of the National Organization of Women, claims abortion as a “fundamental constitutional right.” Just a moment. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion.

At the time it was signed, there were no laws regarding abortion. Pregnancy and abortion issues were handled between the woman and her midwife.

By the time Roe v. Wade came along every state had some level of law against abortion, though some states were reconsidering their laws. The Roe decision was based on no federal law (there was none).

At the time many considered it activist law that stripped the states of a right they had always held and asserted a right that had never been addressed.

In the years following the decision there have been hundreds of attacks on abortion supporters and pro-life supporters. While Ms. Nunes calls the current court radical, many see the Dobbs decision as correcting a bad judgment 50 years ago.

The issue of abortion is far from settled.

David Mellinger

Harlingen

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