The Editor, Sir:

The Government seems very hasty to grant casino licences and reveal more scandals, but very slow to appreciate the fact that they have consistently abrogated their first responsibility which is to secure the ultimate rights of its citizenry - the right to life and liberty.

No government in the world, though, can absolutely guarantee its citizens' right to life, but, in the pursuit of that mandate, many have instituted policies, laws and structures to achieve socially acceptable levels of such guarantees.

The United States of America embodies the essence of freedom and human rights within the confines of a modern democracy, and to this end they have seen the need to allow the ordinary citizen the right to protect self as the first line of defence against the potential criminal. This does not in any way preclude the State from its role in providing the ultimate protection for its citizenry, but it is an acknowledgment that it cannot be everywhere a crime is being committed.

Review the laws

I, therefore, call on this current administration to review the current gun licensing laws to make them more citizen-friendly. Persons in this society who have guns are the privileged few. It's time to bring the society to a greater state of equilibrium where most of us will also have an opportunity to protect ourselves from the criminal actions of a few.

I am, etc.,

KARL JOHNSON

headbarnes@yahoo.com