Should Mission Viejo Allow Guns in Parks?

They shot down the idea next door, but what would Mission Viejo residents think of having the right to carry guns in city parks?

San Juan Capistrano proposed a law last week to allow people to carry guns in city parks. His proposal was voted down by the City Council last week.

The city’s gun laws are much stricter than the state’s, and that bothered Reeve. He was concerned about lawsuits that may be brought against the city. According to an article on , Reeves "believes his changes would make the citizens of San Juan Capistrano safer."

, who opposed the idea, said he doesn't want people carrying guns where children play.

"This is a family-friendly-oriented city, and that means no weapons in the parks," Kramer said last week. He also called the proposal "ridiculous" and a "waste of time."

Reeve wrote a three-part blog and pulls quotes from the book More Guns, Less Crime by John R. Lott Jr.

But Lott's theory may be wrong, according to statistics.

The statistics for homicide are much lower in developed countries that have much stricter gun laws than those of the United States. Also, you're more likely in Orange County to be hurt or killed by a gun in an accident than in the midst of a violent crime, according research by the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Here in Mission Viejo we recently lost 14-year-old Parinaz Naderi from what police believe was a while she and her family were moving into our city. It brought to light the dangers of owning guns.

Our city enjoys the lowest overall crime rate in the state. But would our residents be open to having gun owners carrying weapons in our parks,  or would we shoot the idea down as well?