As a result of the recent mass shootings, I was on high alert in public places during a recent visit to the US. Some had warnings and the metal detectors to back them up, while others just had signs, as if mere words would deter gun owners from exercising their 2^nd Amendment right to pack heat, warnings be damned. In Vietnam, as in most countries, the only people with guns are police officers, soldiers, and a very select group of criminals.

During a 2019 visit to the US, I was “inspired” to write an article about guns that was published in Vietnamese by a top 10 media outlet. Here are the English and Vietnamese versions.

I took these two photos at the soft launch of the Minnesota State Fair in late May. There is good reason for this warning. State residents who are at least 21-years-old and complete a firearms training course may carry firearms visibly in public, known as open carry, or concealed. The law doesn’t make a distinction between the two.

I felt completely safe there, wherever I stayed, and in airports beyond the TSA screening.

Shalom (שלום), MAA