Reader's view: Relax, Florida safer than Chicago

Other than what I suspect is the News Tribune’s intent to provide one anti-gun opinion piece or editorial disguised as news each week, I saw little reason for David McGrath’s Local View column of March 16 (“Florida spring breakers may have second thoughts”). His intent was cloudy, his target not even part of the cases referenced, and his data not only in error but not in support of his conclusions.
He suggested people boycott Sarasota County, Fla., using, as a reason, incidents from Seminole, Pasco and Duval counties.
He identified cases of Florida’s “stand-your-ground law,” indicating one case of acquittal on those grounds while ignoring a guilty verdict in one and probably the other. George Zimmerman was acquitted on the grounds of self-defense; the others failed or likely will fail with the same defense. “Castle Doctrine” was not claimed or applicable in any of the cases.
Even if McGrath hadn’t shown his ignorance of the law or disregard of the facts, his premise was ludicrous. To justify an assertion that Sarasota is unusually dangerous, he ignored the death toll in his native Chicago (from misuse of firearms and other methods) and in an equal area of the Northland (from fists, feet and sharp or blunt weapons).
McGrath also identified the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia that never represented the Confederate States of America as having something to do with slavery. The “Rebel Flag” to Southerners, it’s simply their symbol of independence.
A member of the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame, the NRA’s Marion Hammer’s crime is lobbying to allow Floridians to protect themselves to and from work. I do understand
McGrath’s surprise that a newspaper might portray firearms favorably.
If the News Tribune is going to print a piece like this, it could at least make it something one could respectfully disagree with without having to ridicule.
Lowell Rudd
Proctor
The writer is a personal-protection and firearms instructor. He is a member of and wrote this for a group called SAFE, or Second Amendment for Everyone. Contact him at lorudd@mchsi.com .