Letters: Guns, guns and more guns

I am unspeakably thrilled by the latest bill from Rep. Mike Pitts to let people carry guns, concealed or not, without a permit.

I look forward with great ambition to swaggering down Main Street here in Columbia with my big iron on my hip. Perhaps I will meet a similarly accoutred person, and we will see who is the quickest on the draw and who will join the other 30,000-odd people killed by firearms this year in the good old USA.

Being so far ahead of every other civilized nation, we really do need to keep the numbers up; otherwise we might be overtaken by some itsy-bitsy third-world country. The shame of it! A great round of applause (perhaps accompanied by fireworks) should be given to Mr. Pitts, who has gladly shouldered this onerous responsibility.