DEAR EDITOR:

I opened up the Aug. 20 Vindicator and saw a photo of a beautiful, smiling 3-year-old boy. It was his obituary.

My memory of the last time I saw him was when he lay dying on the asphalt of a South Side parking lot. He was lying motionless, eyes wide open, and his father was inconsolably wailing beside him.

Most of you know by now the story of what happened. The boy got hold of his father’s gun and shot himself. While the EMTs were working on the boy, I tried to help the father call his family about what happened.

For the 10 minutes or so I was with him, he never stopped sobbing. At the time, I felt nothing but empathy for the young man, but the truth is, he made a grievous error for which his son paid with his life.

Tragedies like this happen all too often because we lose sight of the real risks of gun ownership, risks that, in my opinion, often exceed the benefits.

THOMAS ARENS

Canfield