Stacey Burn’s voice as a victim and solving the issue of guns and mass murders: these two items were mentioned in my last post. If only there were simple answers to both but apparently some clarification of that post is needed so here it is.

First, we’ll look at the issue of guns and mass murders. I am not an anti-gun advocate. I am (was in my younger days) a bow hunter and I’ve always respected (for the most part) those who hunted with guns and those who use the guns for other legitimate sports. I am an advocate for being able to attend a movie, or go to a church Bible study, or go to school, or attend a university, or serve on an army base without fear of being murdered by someone who should not have a gun. That is the issue and to me it is that issue that needs attention. I don’t want my fellow theater goers, or those in my Bible study class, or those in a leadership position in schools to protect me by carrying guns unless they’ve been trained in handling crisis situations. Police have to be trained and even then they do, although rarely, make mistakes in responding in difficult situations. I’m not advocating for gun control; I’m advocating for my right not to carry a gun and still feel safe in going about my daily life.

Second, a respondent to this blog suggests that if I’m going to write a book about the Stacey Burns murder, “just do it already.” If only I had a simple answer to that chastisement. The narrative of the story is incomplete. Quite a few of my writer colleagues have suggested that I simply publish what I have and allow the reader to decide where the truth lies. That, I believe, would be a disservice in so many ways. If it is to be a true crime book, obviously it must by definition be true. If I make anything up, it is fiction, and this is not a fiction story. Substantial segments of the story are missing. As just one example, the investigators are a non-factor in what I have so far as they are unable or unwilling to provide important details in the story. If any writer out there feels he or she could do this better, please contact me. I have hundreds of pages of notes and hours of interviews gleaned from numerous trips back to New Hampshire.

As I said, if only there were simple answers . . .

Duke