Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Here's My Latest Letter ...
A letter Wednesday, 'Criminals
Will Get Guns Anyway,' reports that "only between 3 percent and 11
percent of criminals who used guns purchased them legally," claiming
that making it harder to buy guns legally won't make a difference. But
this ignores the obvious problem with the equation. Nothing ever
happens to the 'illegal' seller. Suppose there were strong penalties
for selling firearms in any manner except one prescribed by law. And
the penalty for violations were to be commensurate with the crime
committed with the firearm in question. So the seller might wind up
being charged with being complicit in mass murder. Might that make a
difference?
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Good question. People in foreign countries where gun laws are strict, such as New Zealand where I spent 15 years, do not understand this uniquely American fixation on firearms. They ask why anyone would want or need to carry an assault rifle or handgun on a simple trip to, say, the grocery. There are also strict penalties for gun-related crimes (even accidents) for someone failing to adhere to laws on the books for what are really common sense regulations regarding handling and storing of weapons. NRA supporters say such laws cannot succeed here, as though any such things have ever been tried and applied consistently across the country.
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