To the editor:

“Governor to veto concealed gun bill.” I can’t believe that the last two governors of Kansas have taken the sole responsibility to deny Kansas residents the right to defend themselves or their families while away from home. To imply that the average Kansas resident is not capable of carrying a concealed weapon without causing a grave threat to those around him/her is an insult to every Kansan’s intelligence and integrity.

A recent Journal-World editorial implied the same thing when it stated “Kansans shouldn’t have to look around them in a public place and wonder who is carrying a gun and under what circumstances they might pull it out and use it.” It also said that Kansas already allows people to openly carry weapons in many public settings. “This would seem to be a far more effective deterrent to crime than a concealed weapon.”

Can you imagine what would happen if someone walked into a public place with a loaded pistol hanging from his belt? The police would be there with drawn weapons of their own to arrest the law-abider. Now remember this is perfectly legal under the present Kansas law to openly carry a weapon. Which would you rather have in downtown Lawrence?

After all, 46 other states have this law in place and working very effectively. Or do you agree with the governor that the average Kansas citizen is not mentally capable of common sense?

Ray Ikenberry,

Lawrence