August 15, 2013
Thursday PM

In September, Alaska will be blessed with a new law allowing me to use deadly force to stand my ground if I am in a place I have a right to be, like a public park, a street or a bar, and am threatened with serious bodily injury by a bully. Thanks Governor Parnell and state lawmakers, but I think I will pass on this.

Over the course of a long lifetime, I ve gotten along just fine obeying the common law mandate to retreat from such situations if I could safely. On Judgment Day, I can t imagine Alaska s stand your ground law would be of much use to me if I were compelled to explain to my Maker why I killed a man rather than walk away when I could.

One hundred fifty-three Alaskans will die this year from gun assaults, accidents or suicides, a ratio twice the national average. Stand your ground is not likely to improve that, but it waits for an incident egregious enough to swing public opinion in this state before it will be repealed.

In the meantime, how do I plan to protect myself from an armed idiot emboldened by stand your ground that with little provocation may think I m a threat? I intend to smile a lot and never wear a hoodie.

Mike Harpold
Ketchikan, Alaska

About: "Mike Harpold owns handguns, but leaves them secured at home where they belong."

Representations of fact and opinions in letters are solely those of the author.
The opinions of the author do not represent the opinions of Sitnews.