Editor’s note: The following is in response to the writer of a letter that appeared in the Aug. 19 issue of The Courier-Herald.

Fewer guns equals fewer deaths?

I would like to know the percentage of the deaths by guns that were used by criminals that had illegal or stolen guns. Using your own logic “30k less guns equal 30K less deaths” is interesting. Could I apply that logic to auto accidents, drug overdoses or alcohol-related accidents. The problem I see is, why add more laws to the law-abiding people? The criminals do not care if they break another law. That is the case with the Columbine school shooting, or when I sometimes watch “Cops” on the TV.

What America needs is a moral standard. We originally had one, but replaced it with evolution. Evolution encourages selfishness, for they believe nothing happens after death. All other religions that I have seen in the world have the basic 10 commandments as their moral standard. Treat others like you treat yourself (lying, stealing, murder); God wrote it on our hearts and minds. Our conscious is like an alarm clock when we do wrong. The only difference between all other religions is how they obtain forgiveness or bribery from our sins. A person just needs to check and prove why the religious book they like is true or false. There is only one right answer, just like math.

The moral dilemma is this. A person that is determined to kill another does not care how. Guns do make it easier though. If they don’t have a gun, people commonly have used a knife, a car, a bat, scissors, a rock, or anti-freeze, etc. We cannot outlaw everything and limit freedoms of the law-abiding individual.

Walter Hammermeister

Enumclaw