Preference vs. reason
16 November 2005 - Orange County Register

Patrick O’Brien’s letter was long on personal preference and short on reason. For starters, the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791 - long after the Revolutionary War was over - and was written to guarantee the pre-existing right to arms in self-defense, to allow the citizenry to defend itself against both foreign invasion and any future tyranny from its fledgling government.

He calls the notion that a gun can protect a good guy from a bad guy "pure sophistry". Perhaps he’s unaware of scientific studies that have shown that defensive uses of firearms by law-abiding citizens to prevent crimes outnumber incidents of criminal gun violence by a factor of 4-to-1.

His personal preference is that he’s never had a need for a gun. Good for him, but what makes him think that’s everyone’s personal preference? Personally, I’d rather have one and not need it than need one and find someone preventing me from having it.