A gun makes mistakes deadly

Re “An officer held to account,” editorial, Oct. 3

I was living elsewhere many years ago when a neighbor’s drunken guest walked in on me thinking it was his apartment. I had fallen asleep watching TV and, when awakened by my surly and glassy-eyed intruder, I immediately grabbed a T-square to defend myself.

He was even more feebly armed — in fact, he was bare-handed — so it all worked out just fine.

What if, however, it had been in an “open carry” state and I had been shot dead by a sober civilian making the same “mistake” as Dallas officer Amber Guyger? What if that person had been deluded by the belief that true safety will come when we’re all walking around armed with a gun and itching for the opportunity to defend ourselves?

I would like to think that my killer’s verdict and sentence would be as just and no different than Guyger’s. Of course, I would still be dead. Ronald Webster

Long Beach

Guyger’s actions had nothing to do with her profession at the time. She was employed by the Dallas Police Department when she killed Botham Jean in his own apartment, but she was off-duty and not acting as an officer.

Saying that an “officer” was held accountable for the killing is disingenuous. When a banker goes home after their work day, is that person acting as a banker when he or she enters that home? Why is this any different?

Unfortunately, there is a bias against law enforcement that is encouraged by sensationalist headlines like this one. Jim Drabos

La Mirada

Too bad for Guyger she couldn’t get her trial moved to Simi Valley. Douglas Domingo-Forasté

Long Beach