Citizens shouldn't be scared to defend themselves

In your editorial about last week's shooting ("When you can't find a reason why," Oct. 12) you state that nothing and no one could have prevented it.

Unfortunately that is only true because the government has created a nation of "sheeple."

The people of this country are not allowed to defend themselves, but what makes this even worse is that there is case law which says that the police have no duty or obligation to protect you, as an individual. (In addition), many of the laws which are enacted only apply to the law-abiding, since criminals, by definition, don't follow the law and also have a right against selfincrimination.

What was also amusing is the letter in which it seems clear that the person thinks that to be one of the safest cities in the United States means that there is no crime. Just because there is less crime in Simi Valley, it does not mean that you should not lock your car, even in the garage, lock your house, keep valuables out of sight, etc.

The sad thing is that in many of these cases with lunatics who harm others, the number of victims could be greatly reduced if the lawabiding citizens of this country had the ability and the backbone to defend their own lives, instead of wanting Mommy Government to protect them. Do you really think that most criminals are so stupid that they don't look around and see if a police officer is around?

Contrary to the liberal fearmongering that there would be shootouts on every street corner in Florida when they passed their (concealed weapon) permit system, the crime rate went from above the national average to below the national average. The criminals knew that suddenly their victims could cause them harm and were no longer easy prey.

One additional thing to consider is that police officers, even after they retire, are able to defend themselves by means of a permit, whereas most others cannot.

This is also true for judges and other such "special" people. This creates an elite group of people whose lives are more valuable than the average person's. The rich can hire armed security guards, but the average citizen is at the mercy of criminals. The founders of this country must be rolling in their graves. Ken Sandberg Simi Valley