No slaughter at Yosemite

Today is the 13th day of the new law allowing people with concealed carry permits to take their guns into our national parks. There was no shortage of hysteria from the anti-gun crowd over this law. So I went to Yosemite to find out firsthand what happened. I was sure I'd find that hoards of nut jobs had arrived at the park, frothing at the mouth looking for something or someone to kill. Well, you could've knocked me over with a toothpick when the first ranger I came across reported there had been no slaughter, no bodies laying all over the campgrounds and backcountry trails. There were no streams running red with blood and there had been no ruthless massacre of Bambis.

I've become convinced that folks who have had a criminal background check and take a training course to help them understand the legalities of using lethal force can in fact be trusted to carry a gun for self-protection. Of course, that does not apply to gun owners in Stanislaus County. They seem to have a certain streak of untrustworthiness and perhaps a touch of blood lust. But the rest of them, they seemed to have done just fine.

WALTER STRONG
Oakdale