John Rennie says he would let prisoners out under the Belfast Agreement - but would be standing ready with a machinegun at the prison gates.
Mr Rennie's 17-year-old daughter, Katrina, was murdered by the Protestant Action Force - a cover name for the UVF - seven years ago. She was chatting to her friend in a mobile shop close to her home at Meadowbrook estate, near Lurgan, Co Armagh.
The other victims were Katrina's friend, shop assistant Eileen Duffy (19), and a customer, Mr Brian Frizzell (29). Mr Rennie and his wife Mary were told by the RUC that the intended victim was the mobile shop owner.
The attack shocked and frightened Lurgan Catholics, who have become targets for dissident loyalist paramilitaries from neighbouring Portadown in recent years.
But the Rennies, despite their antipathy to the release of prisoners, say they feel they have no choice but to vote Yes in the referendum on the Belfast Agreement for the sake of their three grandchildren.
Their views are echoed by many Catholic people on the streets of Lurgan, who were generally relaxed about talking to The Irish Times. However, two Catholic solicitors refused to allow their names to be printed, even though they are not involved in any high-profile criminal defence work.
"Most nationalists are for it by far, and probably most unionists are against it," said one of the solicitors. "The whole thing is going to be passed - sure it's common sense for God's sake."
Lurgan is sometimes described as a microcosm of the extremes of Northern Ireland. It is almost possible to draw a line down the centre of the main street to show where the Protestant-owned shops end and the Catholic-owned premises start.
On that dividing line stand the underground public toilets which, as the loyalist and republican graffiti show, are used by people from both communities.
A low-key and unofficial apartheid is practised by some Lurgan shoppers from both communities, who would not consider giving their money to business people from "the other end of the town".
Within the past 30 years the sprinkling of Protestant families in Catholic middle-class areas has gradually moved out, although there was no intimidation or pressure. The result is that the town's suburbs are clearly identifiable as either Catholic or Protestant.
Schools are segregated, pubs are segregated, taxi companies are segregated. Within such a totally fractured community, attempts at popular peace movements have never been hugely successful.
John Rennie, son of Mary and John, set up a Youth for Peace group in the town after his sister was murdered. The family has a Waterford crystal vase on their sideboard which was presented to him as Young Person of the Year in 1992 by the then President, Mrs Robinson.
Membership of John's group fluctuated between 10 and 20, and eventually they dispersed.
Lurgan Catholics generally feel that the Belfast Agreement is "the only game in town," according to one middle-aged man in the street.
Another man, Mr Eugene Barrett from Francis Street, said he was "150 per cent behind peace. It looks like it's a great chance for everybody, especially the next generation. It's about time people sat back for a while and learned that there are more words in the English dictionary than no."
Mr Barrett is involved in the local GAA club, Clann na Gael, which has players aged from under 10 to under 18.
"Most of them seem to realise that something has happened and it's all for the better. They are all looking forward to better days." Even in the working-class Kilwilke estate - a virtual no-go area for the RUC and British army where many walls are covered in republican murals - opinions on the agreement are positive.
Mr David Caldwell, the owner of McGill's shop and post office, said the biggest concern of his customers was whether they would be safe from attacks by loyalist paramilitaries.
"I think it's a difficult document," he said. "I would be surprised if most people read it, but I think the essence of it has been well described and people do know the issues. Centrally, because it's an agreement for once, and a political agreement, people will go for it."
Dr Fred MacSorley from Church Walk Surgery in the Catholic end of the town says the number of requests by elderly people for postal votes in this month's referendum on the agreement is much higher than it has been for other elections.
"We are getting three or four applications per day to countersign. It used to be one or two per week. So elderly people who in the past didn't vote are determined to go and vote for the future of their country.
"When talking to relatives handing in the forms, it's obvious that people are interested in this and are determined to have their say."
Dr MacSorley and his colleagues were among the first on the scene when two RUC officers were murdered by the IRA close to their surgery last June.
He says the referendum is "just another step in the healing game. People are voting for what they regard as their future, and in particular their children's. . .
"This is the beginning of the separation between those who are willing to give and take a bit and those who are stuck in the past."