As Indiana and other states move to make more guns more accessible in more places, the story of an Indiana State Police trooper should bring a dose of reality into the “more guns, more safety” myth.

As Holly Abrams reported Tuesday, a trooper recently left his loaded 9 mm handgun in the restroom of a big box retailer, where it could have been found and used by virtually anyone.

Consider that few law enforcement professionals in Indiana are as disciplined and well trained as the Indiana State Police. If anyone knows the importance of gun safety, it is state troopers and police officers in general. But they are not immune from mistakes.

Consider the 1987 fatal shooting of a police recruit by a veteran Fort Wayne police officer who thought his gun was unloaded during a training exercise.

If even the most responsible, best trained gun handlers can make mistakes, what about lesser trained gun owners?

And consider that in Indiana, almost any adult without a criminal history can obtain a license to carry a handgun in public for life with no requirement of any gun knowledge whatsoever, much less training. Indiana lawmakers recently sealed those licenses from the public record, a move Gov. Mitch Daniels endorsed.

Another bill Daniels signed will change longtime laws that have allowed businesses to prohibit handguns on their property. The new law will allow workers to keep guns in the glove compartments of their cars – making guns just a parking lot away during heated workplace arguments.

The National Rifle Association and other gun rights groups are turning toward state legislatures seeking laws just like those and more. Arizona is considering a bill that would allow gun owners to carry in public without a permit.

Gun advocates are attempting to persuade Americans that more guns make the nation safer, offering numerous anecdotal tales of people with guns protecting themselves or others. But guns are also used in crimes; misused by normally law-abiding people in emotional incidents; are often fatal when fired accidentally.

Nationally, more than half of all firearms deaths are suicide. Unlike other common forms of suicide attempts, firing a gun leaves little time for intervention or second thoughts.

As the courts and legislatures expand the meaning and application of the Second Amendment, the need for gun safety grows even more important. All states should require training to obtain gun licenses. Lifetime licenses should be abolished.

Businesses should be allowed to determine what workers are and are not allowed to bring to the workplace. Gun show sales should be regulated like gun store sales.

Yes, when used properly, guns can protect people and ward off crime. But too often, guns are not used or protected properly – even, on rare occasion, by a police professional.