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# The right to bear arms
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/the-right-to-bear-arms-editor/
- Published: 2008-07-30T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:24:03.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By David E. Steele Los Angeles*

Regarding Llyod Garver’s commentary on Minnesota gun laws (“The land of 10,000 lakes and even more fire alarms,” page 4, July 26-27), let me say that Mr. Garver might be surprised to find that Minnesota is quite liberal, while perhaps lacking some of the Trotskyites and “red diaper babies” of the Santa Monica People’s Republic. Even so, Minnesota is one of 40 odd states which issue concealed carry permits to law-abiding adults. In California you must have a badge before your life is worth protecting with a firearm. Of course, some people believe the police will protect them. Aside from the police having no legal obligation to protect any individual citizen, it is good to remember the adage, “when seconds count, the police will be there in minutes.”

Our founding fathers believed individual citizens should have their own sources of power, in the form of firearms and private property.

Interestingly, personal pistols provided greater security, not less. While this has been proven statistically by John Lott and others, I will give just one example. In 1984 I worked for a year as a policeman at the VA on Sawtelle, before moving on to a better-equipped agency. At that time VA police wore shirts and carried no sticks or guns. This gave the illusion of a “helping agency” the doctors, but it meant that we had to subdue drunks, dopers, psychotics, transients, and terminated employees without the visual intimidation of normal police uniforms and equipment. Mace rarely deterred anyone. Incidentally, nationwide, four unarmed VA police officers were shot to death before the agency finally got sticks and Berettas.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 30, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/073008.pdf?ref=smdp.com)