As a victim of gun violence, if I'd had a gun in my possession when I had a gun pointed in my face (inches away), I would have been shot dead. If I'd had any other type of perceived weapon, I would have been killed on the spot.

Two young men held me up at gunpoint so they could steal my bicycle. What did I do? I cried, begged, cried, and cried some more. They were so shocked that the first guy rode off on his bike.

The other guy, with the gun, finally put it down in disbelief, after having said over and over that he was going to shoot me "right now." He then walked away.

Was I stupid? Yes! Lucky? Yes. Alive? Hell, yes!

I'm not saying that we should all start crying when we're held up at gunpoint. What I am saying is that we need to rethink the whole gun-to-gun response.

Trust me, I was in no position to shoot the guy who held me up, even if I'd had a gun. Other options do exist and need to be considered.

BRENDA TROIANI, MAPLE GROVE