In the interest of truth and fairness, I, Tom Driscoll, implore the editor to let me correct Paul Tweiten’s misrepresentations of my beliefs and his misinterpretation of what I wrote.

Paul wrote in response to my letter on gun control: “He believes that citizens armed with handguns is an American nightmare” and that millions of us individuals with such firearms are irrational and irresponsible. How insulting!” What I actually wrote was that arming millions of teachers with handguns would be an American nightmare. I did not write that millions of individuals with such firearms are irrational and irresponsible because my real belief is that nearly all gun owners are both rational and responsible. I believe that most guns are not “military weapons of mass destruction,” but recent mass murders show that some are. I believe that neither signs nor armed police on campus will deter an insane shooter because, by definition, insanity is irrational. I also believe that armed law enforcement officers are nearly always the best solution to a school shooting, just as they are nearly always the best solution to off campus shootings with the least chance of collateral damage.

Alan Jackson also wrongly characterized my beliefs when he sarcastically implied that what I wrote means “we can all feel safe that we can disband the TSA and police and not bother to lock our cars and homes. Yeah, right!” Both Paul and Alan need to realize that in their critiques neither of them truthfully reproduced what I wrote or what I believe. Both rewrote my beliefs and told themselves lies about what I said. Paul further used his rewrite to conclude that I am an “ill-informed , radically emotional individual.” That conclusion is the opposite of a scientific personality test that showed 19 of my 20 responses were thinking rather than emotional responses.

Name-calling and killing straw men never solve real problems.

Tom Driscoll

Poulsbo