STREET BEAT: ‘Are gun owners safer than non-gun owners?’

Compiled by Cynthia Gibson in Leimert Park.

 

Ashia Arrington
Los Angeles
“No, I do not believe they are safer. There are statistics … that show they end up in more violence. There’s no … solution that says if you own a gun, you’ll be able to save or even protect your family.”
Evelia Palmero
Los Angeles
“No they are not. Actually, they are in more danger than anybody else because if someone comes to them and tries to take the gun away, they shoot them. Who gets in trouble? The owner of the gun.”
Zerita Jones
Los Angeles
“I don’t know if they’re actually safer, but I know they feel safer. I know that when I was young, I took lessons and I purchased myself a gun. … As a single woman in Los Angeles, I definitely felt safer.”
Collin Thompson
Inglewood
“Yes. They feel safer when they have them the right way and not illegally. They have to go to the gun shop and go through the right procedures. They have them in their own place for security.”