I read with interest your front-page report about defendants who reach plea deals (“In Baltimore's reception court, a behind-the-scenes look at how plea deals happen,” Nov. 3).
The sentence that particularly caught my eye was "[Police] want criminals who are caught with guns to get tougher punishments."
How about making guns more difficult to get?
We're attacking the wrong end of the problem by incarcerating people for having guns rather than treating the beginning of the problem, which is the easy availability of guns.
A friend of mine recently observed: "It's easier to get a gun then to make an appointment with a mental health counselor."
Anita Reetz, Anscortes, Washington
