Sir, – When I bought a bottle of water at half-time in the recent Leinster/Clermont Auvergne game, the barman removed the top and retained it. He did this, not because he suspected me of being the kind of person who would be tempted to throw it at someone, but because the stadium has made this a regulation to deny certain individuals the ability to do exactly that.
Therefore, I had to pay a small price (the danger that the water would spill before I could drink it) for the tendency of others to behave badly.
Although I would like to be able to do target practice with a high-powered rifle, I understand that I cannot do so in this country, for the same reason.
It is time it was borne in on our American friends that if they could get around the blind spot that afflicts them regarding gun control, and pay the small price this would require in terms of personal liberties, they would make a move towards denying some deeply disturbed individuals the ability to create enormous anguish and suffering in their communities. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook, is there any chance of a ban on the sale of toy guns here in Ireland? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Like a Chekhov gun appearing in the first act of a play, why on earth would anyone ever buy a gun if not with the intention of using it some day in the future? – Yours, etc,