Gun Control

Guns are inanimate objects; they cannot commit crimes. People commit crimes. Outlawing guns is not the answer. The adage "if you outlaw guns then only the outlaws will have guns" is true. Most gun crimes are committed with illegally purchased firearms. Most murders are a by-product of another crime: burglary, drug deals, car jacking, mugging, robberies, etc. A few crimes are crimes of passion. If someone is angry enough to kill somebody else, they will do it with out a gun. However, common sense tells us that a crook is going to think twice about mugging somebody if he/she is probably carrying a gun and has taken a class on how to use it. The same argument applies to other crimes: rape, car jacking, burglaries, robberies, etc. We, as a society, would be safer if we, as individuals, were armed and trained in self defense and the proper use of firearms.

Do I think we should allow everyone to purchase a firearm? NO. There is currently a waiting period (cooling off period) of a couple of days and an instant check system. I think those are both good and necessary things. Common sense says that if a person comes storming into a gun shop demanding to purchase a gun and some ammunition that a crime of passion may be in the making. So we give him a couple of days to cool off. Also, if a person has used a gun to commit a crime, he should not be allowed to own one--so we need the instant check system. With today’s super computers, it should work just like a credit card verification. Instead of a credit card number, it would use your social security number. The gun store enters the number and government computer checks to see if the person is on the no-buy list. It is that simple. The government does not need to know what type of firearm or ammunition is being purchased, or even if a purchase was made. The store would be required to see photo identification with a Social Security number on it--most drivers’ licenses would work. I believe that one of the reasons this country is still free is because of the large number of individuals who own firearms.