Letter to the editor: Solution to gun violence must be sensible

Solution to gun violence must be sensible

Guns are controlled by the people possessing them. Any thoughts that legislation and rules can control guns are simply wrong. What can be legislated are penalties to be imposed upon those people who violate the laws and rules on permissible acquisition, storage, transportation, modification and use of various types of guns. Please consider the following three common sense statements:

First, the important controls that need to be effectively put into place are those to make illegal the possession of deadly weapons by people who have thru prior actions (i.e. some felons) or current physical or mental conditions (perhaps deaf, blind or mental illness) pose an unacceptable level of risk to society. We must remember that every individual has the right to defend themselves and therefore has the right to “keep and bear arms,” unless such right is removed via due process (in which case an alternate means of self-defense should be provided).

Second, it is of utmost importance that the controls described above be effectively implemented. Opportunities to misuse, abuse or circumvent the controls should be eliminated to the greatest extent reasonably possible and the cases of actual misuse, abuse or circumvention, either purposefully or inadvertently, should have serious consequences.

Third, the banning of things is likely to fail, particularly if those things are popular or have some legitimate uses. Failures that we have seen include the bans on alcoholic beverages in the 1920s, prohibitions regarding certain drugs and policies attempting to prevent more countries from acquiring nuclear weapons and delivery equipment. A common failure is that a ban is viewed by many, sometimes a majority, to be inappropriate. Prohibition failed in that respect. Marijuana legalization in several states and tolerance in additional states or localities are also signs of the impending failure of that ban. Bump stocks have been invented and have valid uses — as I understand, by people who legally can possess guns but have difficulty operating them. The banning of an item is likely to drive its manufacture, possession and use into criminality rather than to make the item extinct.

Use common sense. Make sure that your solution addresses the problem and will be effective rather than another failure.

Jim Henderson

Fallon