As I celebrate my 94th birthday, I am troubled by a situation that keeps bopping in my brain
like a line from a song, which I do not like but which I cannot forget.
It is legal to carry a firearm concealed in a backpack, in a holster, in one’s handbag, tucked into one’s belt. Presumably one is permitted to carry that firearm into food markets, department stores, doctors’ offices, churches and food kitchens. It is not legal to carry that firearm into a federal building, schools, courthouses, the State Capitol area or private property (where prohibited by owner). There is also mention of not taking firearms into state parks, or bars that are posted.
My dilemma is: why are the people in government buildings, courthouses, schoolrooms and state park denizens any more valuable, important and cherished than shop clerks, nurses, soup kitchen clients or church-goers?
If it is dangerous to carry firearms into courthouses, then it is dangerous to carry them into
supermarkets. I do not question the legality of carrying firearms. I question the dichotomy of the enforcement policy. Either we all march into every place armed, or we walk every place without weapons hidden on our person.
Charlene Hagen
South Portland
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