YOUR COMMENTS

I believe you are right CDR. I've never owned a weapon because I trusted my other abilities to defend. But now I don't even trust my own government to provide me truth or protection. Very sad times indeed.
- John, Bedford

The more good citizens who carry for protection, the less damage people like this can do. I consider it a civic duty to carry my pistol, both for my own protection and the protection of others.
- CDR, Lebanon

The Mall can post signs banning law abiding citizens from carrying firearms, but there is little they can do if a person carries on and no one sees it. I have a concealed carry permit, and I carry my firearm anywhere I want. That includes church and all malls. If they have a problem they can ban me from the Mall, but until they find out I will be there and prepared to defend myself and anyone around me.

Places likes courts prohibit the carrying of firearms by statute and I don't carry there. Malls can post, but as far as I know there is no statute that prohibits a concealed carry permit holder from carrying there.
- Melvin, Keene

Im a current senior at Pelham high, for the record. And our country is going down hill fast and It's because of the lackadaisical job that our government does on a day-to-day basis. There are so many lies being with held from the public until we are right in the midst of problem. It's ridiculous, and i can't wait to move to Canada.
- Corey, Pelham, NH

While the Mall of New Hampshire company can bar the carrying of firearms on the premises; they can not bar you from transporting firearms in your vehicle in the parking lot. Pain in the butt if you have to run out of the facility to retreive your weapon. Of course if you're able to leave the building, then you're able to flee to area. I wouldn't be going back in armed unless I had a family member or good friend trapped inside and the police hadn't arrived yet..
- Michael D. Houst, Barrington, NH

The advantage of having the Mosque in Manchester or anywhere else is that it makes it easier to track these animals down. Islam is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. The bottom line that Islam promotes this kind of violence . It just depends on if they act on it.
- Tim, Manchester

For one thing, we've only heard one side, and similar cases have eventually shown the government dramatically exaggerated the circumstances. And secondly, I don't know who scares me more, the terrorists or you trigger-happy reactionaries.
- Brian, W. Manch

If ever there was a time to start rounding up a group of people and finding out their loyalty to America instead of to a religion promoting terrorism, now is the time. What angers me is G.W. Bush's statement shortly after 9/11: "Islam is peace". When you have well-to-do, middle class sons willing and ready to wreak havoc on the U.S., then it's time to re-think the solution to the problem.
- Brian, Bedford

Richard Fortin, that group trying to build the mosque has also had radical imam Siraj Wahhaj, a friend of the "Blind Sheik" who masterminded the 1993 WTC bombing, visiting on a number of occasions as a keynote speaker. Wahhaj has said that he would like democracy to fall and be replaced by Islam.

This is why a lot of us were concerned about this being built in Manchester. What would be taught there, based on more and more incidents like this?
- David Goss, Manchester

Has anybody on the cracked Union Leader Staff or Homeland Security ever bothered to check to see if TAREK MEHANNA held membership in the GREATER ISLAMIC AMERICAN GROUP based on Valley street in Manchester which is not too too distant from Sudbury, Mass.. for the safety of us locals it might be a good idea if the authorities did so, after all the group is trying to build a Mosque in Manchester not too successively I am happy to hear. Perhaps it might give us in the area a chance to be alert and some idea what to expect. I hate to think that we have embedded terrorists using the mosque if it is ever built as a center of operation. We must be alert. Lets us not forget 9/11.
- Richard L. Fortin, Manchester

This is exactly why I wish more good citizen’s exercised their constitutional right to bear arms. The mall of New Hampshire banned anyone who can legally carry firearms from carrying them in the mall as if anyone with the intent on carrying out such an attack is going to obey such a rule. All such a ban does is prevent your good neighbor from being able to stop such a person should such an attack happen. The Mall of New Hampshire would be a shooting gallery until help could arrive. I won’t shop there because of their policy.

People need to ask themselves if the majority of their neighbors are good people or not and rethink how the laws certain leadership places on us only hurts the vast majority of good people rather than those who do not obey the laws in the first place. You don't put handcuffs on potential victims.
- Deb, Derry

Despite the existence of well over 10,000 state and federal laws regulating firearms, criminals will always be able to get them. The continual and strict enforcement of gun laws will prevent violent crime and always has.

This administration has key people in its staff that have backgrounds supporting essentially the refusal to allow decent, law abiding citizens to own or carry firearms, or the extreme regulation of their right.

The law abiding citizen of this country is the last and most formidable line of defense against terrorism. Let's look at these "home grown" terrorists and this arrest as the success of a first line defense. We won't always be so lucky as we continue to allow these dangerous individuals into the country. The arrests of these Muslim fanatics in the US has already been on the increase.
- Melvin, Keene