I was disappointed to read the comments of retiring state Sen. Joe Benning about legislative proposals requiring safe storage of firearms following the tragic death of a 3-year-old in Barre. He has a reputation as a thoughtful legislator, and I found his analysis that we need to have guns to defend ourselves in rural communities perplexing, overriding the common-sense idea that children should not accidentally have access to guns, accidentally shooting themselves, or for others to have access to guns resulting in suicide, or for the gun owners themselves to accidentally shoot themselves. These types of incidents are all well