Here's what I wrote to the reporter and the editor:
Dear Editor and Mr. Riccardi:
I am writing to applaud Mr. Riccardi's June 7, 2008 article Packing in public: Gun owners tired of hiding their weapons embrace 'open carry'. As a former resident of Los Angeles, it was very refreshing to see unbiased and objective coverage of the Second Amendment in a major publication such as the LA Times.
Regardless of one's interpretation of the Second Amendment, one fact can not be denied: In states that allow concealed and/or open carry of firearms by the law-abiding public, crime rates go down. No duels in the street or vigilante shootouts, just safer communities.
California law does allow open carry, but only in the most rural counties. In urban California counties, open carry is prohibited by statute. Concealed carry permits, technically available at the discretion of local Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs, are categorically denied in California cities. Urban Californians are also subject to some of the nation's highest crime rates.
Overall, residents of California are constrained by some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, and are also subject to some of the highest crime rates. Maybe it is time for California's lawmakers to realize that additional draconion legislation only relegates the law-abiding public to victim status. Maybe it is time for Californians to demand they be allowed to defend themselves.
Again, thank you for the unbiased coverage.
Nate C.
[Address and telephone redacted]