  Stanek et al. (astro-ph/0604113) have noted that the four low-redshift
long-duration gamma-ray bursts (LSB) observed to date all occurred in faint,
metal-poor galaxies. Given this selection, they argue that it is improbable
that there has been a substantial population of Milky Way galaxy bursts
sufficiently recently to affect life on Earth. This argument ignores the
heterogeneity of stellar populations in the Milky Way, with evidence for
continuing mergers with low-metallicity dwarf galaxies; observational analysis
that points to LSBs being hosted by such galaxies undergoing interaction; and
the existence of a likely recent GRB remnant in our galaxy.
