Despite expert opinions, statistics and moral condemnations, the debate on gun control continues. Until the law permits everyone who wants to carry a concealed weapon to do so legally, there is insufficient data to decide for or against ("How to reduce gun violence," June 12).
Neither those of us for gun control nor those against have tangible proof. One solution is to field test the arguments. This nation must witness the outcome of guns in society in the 21st century. The guns will be owned by good folks. Reality demands that they must be given this right. The outcome will be the judge.
We should pass a two-year law that gives a citizen permission to carry a concealed firearm after training. The gun owner must submit to a background and competency check. After two years, the law is suspended and a report of historical gun ownership and the new data set are made public.
What happens in the two-year experiment will set the path for the future. We must witness first hand the realities of modern gun ownership and how it affects today's society. Nothing else is effective.
John Holter, Baltimore