I read the article about a motorist shooting a bicyclist in a road rage incident (“DA says March shooting justified,” April 13 LNP | LancasterOnline) and the May 5 "Lancaster Watchdog" article “Cyclists and motorists can share the road.”
The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office determined that the shooting of a cyclist who “forcefully flung the front passenger door of the vehicle open and moved toward the interior of the vehicle” was justified as self-defense.
The "Lancaster Watchdog" article stated that motorists and bicyclists can peacefully coexist. Let’s hope it’s without resorting to firearms to settle a dispute!
This reminds me of an “All in the Family” episode from the 1970s. In the TV show, Archie Bunker proposed arming the passengers on commercial airliners to thwart the “skyjackers” of the time.
Would Archie today advise arming bicyclists? Using his logic and that of the gun lobby today, the answer is likely an unfortunate yes.
I hope our society has not disintegrated to the point that bicyclists need to defend their rights to the roadways with a firearm.
I also wonder: Did the shooter, a four-wheeling motorist enclosed in steel, put himself in a position where he felt threatened? Unfortunately, this is the society we live in, and this is an unanswered question.
Bottom line: Safely share the road and look out for others!
Dominic “Nick” Castaldi
Mount Joy
