David Matos ("Still no changes in our gun laws," April 20) is obviously out of touch with the gun laws already in existence. There are more than 5,000 of them already enacted.
He should go into any sporting goods shop and try to purchase a firearm. There will be a federal form to fill out that carries up to a five-year penalty for providing false in formation on it. He has to be a resident of the state where he wishes to purchase a handgun. In many areas there is a three- to seven-day waiting period before he can receive the firearm. He will have to provide a positive picture ID, and will be subject to an instant background check from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
He will be subject to a five-year prison term and a fine if he is purchasing a firearm for anyone other than himself. There is a five-year federal sentence for any person that has been convicted of a felony for even having a firearm in their possession.
Ninety-five percent of firearms used in crimes are stolen by the criminals who use them or purchased illegally from the people that stole them. More gun laws will not stop that. The way to stop crime is to punish those who use firearms illegally. In the cities that have the highest crime rate, the firearms possession charge is the first one to be dropped in a plea-bargain deal. This is a federal charge that alone would have meant a five-year federal prison sentence.
The so called Mexican "iron river" of gun-running is total hogwash. The ATF has stated that only 17 percent of the firearms they tried to trace came from the United States, not the 90 percent our politicians are claiming.
We don't need more gun laws. We just need to enforce the laws we already have.
Richard Petruschke, Aiken, S.C.
Comments
"We just need to enforce the laws we already have." Absolutely! But don't hold your breath. It will probably never happen. Who is to blame? You, me, law enforcement, the judiciary, and the local, state, and federal government. It is long past time to INSIST on enforcement! GGpap
We actually already have to many laws, many are duplicating exsisting laws and it is to the point of stupidity. Excellent article/letter - there are more than enough laws is exsistance if our judicial branch would simply stop setting criminals free early or allowing for probations because it is easier than a trial for a conviction. violent criminals, those who use a gun in the commission of a crime against others don't deserve to see the lgiht of day for quite some time once found guilty.
Its not the criminals that are using guns to shoot up schools,churches and nursing homes killing between 8 to 10 people at a time with no motive.People with clean background and never been arrested who purchased their guns legally are involved in more schools killing massacre,family suicide killing than convicted felons are mostly white males.For a example: a well respected Professor at UGA, no criminal record but just exploded.And Georgia have the dumbiest gun laws of all so you can expect more non-criminals going on a killing spree.
Republicans are always living in the past. The very definition of conservative is adverse to change. But, ya know, if everyone there was packin, the UGA professor....yada, yada, yada. Republicans want the Wild West again....they just live in the past. By the way....you don't want higher taxes, so who is going to pay for the enforcement and jails?
GACopperhead: Amen! They can't have it both ways! On one hand they don't want their taxes raised, but on the other hand they want a tighter border, more agents, and more correctional facilities...There isn't a fairy that will wave it's wand and make those things happen, and Extreme Makeover Home Edition don't build jails yet!
There's a fairy, Motorman, and it's a liberal. The cry about taxes is because of government subsidy, not law enforcement. It's the way of the soft left to always "reinterpret" the actions of honorable people to make the left appear "normal". The world by t.v. is rotting a lot of brains.
Keep our guns. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Do you take away all the knifes and razor blades from people also. How about drugs that kill thousands daily. How about abortion that kills millions of helpless children each year. Oh, don't forget we need to protect the whales and do away with the death penalty for convicted murders. Now, back to guns. You can't take guns away because some crazy person uses a gun to kill people in a school or church. It is sad, but our world is evil. This would like taking all children away from parents because of some crazy parent that killed their child.
Stop abortion, protect the borders, stop illegal drugs and aliens from coming into this country. Lower taxes by cutting out wasteful programs, get out of the UN and quit sending money to nations that hate our guts.
Liberals and conservatives, it is way past the time for common sense to come back to this country. We can agree to disagree, but without some common sense this great country of ours in going down the toilet.
Get back to being Americans and live by what our forefather's wanted this country to be.
kissofdeath shows a decided lack of common sense in the 5:57 tirade. No, it's not your average run of the mill thug who goes around killing 8-10 people in schools, churches, etc. Your average thug is prowling the streets daily looking to sell drugs to children, taking things that don't belong to them and shooting someone for something as simple as wearing the wrong color. I'm sure their motive is a really good one though!! In the words of Bugs Bunny, "Sheesh! What a maroon!!"
I see frick (copperdummy) and frack (motormouth) are at it again today spewing their idiotic drivel!
Constitutionnow is absolutely correct. It's become so commonplace to read about a gang or drug shooting that it easily slips the mind. How disheartening that in America it takes a multiple shooting/killing from a supposedly upstanding citizen to catch our attention. Take the amount of people killed daily by drug/driveby killings and compare it to the media frenzy "upscale" killings..You'll see which is greater.
Hey Motorman, I've found the fairy. Let's quit paying illegal aliens welfare, quit giving them free medical care and free baby delivery, and quit requiring dual language schools,services, and signs. Take all of that money and finish the fence and hire more border guards. We would be safer, have more jobs available for US citizens, and have fewer outbreaks of diseases. Heck, we might even have enough jobs to put some of our other welfare queens to work, save even more money, and increase the tax base. It's a win win situation. Businesses could even save money because they could take that "Press 1 for English" off of their phone tree. I am really not against Mexican immigrants. I am against illegal, uncontrolled Mexicans coming up here, drawing enearned government benefits and getting free medical care. I am also against having open borders, both north and south, from which we have no idea who is coming across. If we would only secure our borders we would solve a multitude of problems and be safer and healthier.
Amen & preach on Max!!
This LTE is full of FAIL. First and foremost, MOST firearms crimes ARE NOT committed by criminals who steal weapons. Crimes involving firearms are committed by those who legally purchased firearms PRIOR to the crime. And that 17% the writer claims is bs. The Mexican gun-running "iron river" is much closer to the 90% that the pols say than to the 17% the writer claims. It is more like 70%. Someone in Washington is NOT doing their job of tracing these weapons' locations.
And guns do kill people, though NOT EVERYTIME.
Excellent observation, kissofdeath @ 5:57.
Has anyone heard all the stories lately about jilted lovers, wives, husbands, running over the other party in the trashed relationships? Guess we better get rid of all the cars. How about people being poisoned? Better get rid of household cleaners and other toxins. People get stabbed all the time. Guess you're just going to have to chew that steak whole.
The only difference between guns and cars, poisons, and knives is that the right to own a gun is the only one listed above that is guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States of America. You might want to read it sometime. You'll be amazed at how often the federal government is overstepping its bounds. If you doubt that, look at the number of states that have informed Congress and President Obama of that very fact. The 10th Ammendment is being trampled on daily.
But let someone make one teeny, tiny, insignificant limitation on the 1st Ammendment! Oh my, you would NEVER hear the end of it. And I would be right there at the front of the line. Stop messing with our constitutional rights, folks. They are all GUARANTEED! Sheesh.
Yeah, americanveteran, like America used to be. Illegal abortions done with coathangers and knitting needles on kitchen tables. Black Americans killed because they wanted their children to get an education. No sex education for teenagers because "it might give them ideas". Birth control being against the law. Women paid less than men for the same work. Abuses in the workplace. Age discrimination. Sexual harassment, with no recourse. Prayers in school, whether you agreed with it or wanted to hear it or even believed in Christianity. Segregation. Rampant constitutional violations. Sure, let's go back to the good old days, the way America used to be.
corgimom, thank you for trying to bring sense on here. americanveteran is a misogynist knucklehead.
I won't register my guns because, quite frankly, even as a completely law-abiding citizen, I don't want to be anywhere on the government's radar when it can be avoided. There are too many awful, nanny-state, control-freak lefties like Willi-stunned and Corgimom (whose screen name tells you everything you probably want to know about her life) running the show right now. And they're doing everything possible to get the Constitution changed so that they will never lose powere over the private lives of law-abiding citizens, especially Christians and conservative-type.
All those who hate the 1st and 2nd Amendments come try and take my Bible and my Guns, Oh yea you will need to bring a gun to do it HA HA HA. Why am being called mean things CORGIMOM Just because I am a Christian and own guns? Isn't that the rights granted to me by this Great Nations Constitution. AND WILL you are always saying its the CONs who don't abide by the constitution. I think you are one confused person.
I heard this once, We dont need gun control we need bullet control, charge 5000 bucks a bullet. Then if your shot, you most likely deserved it.
James and let the poor be killed by the Criminals, that is a Barry Elitist mentality
jamesj, I think we are getting exactly that with your president. I also think that the criminals will have ways to avoid that price. Kind of like the Prohibition times. And also kind of like the let's smuggle it over the borders. I think every true law abiding, patriotic, and hardworking (employed) American will rue the day Obama was elected.
what's so damned difficult about the first and second amendements..free speech and the right to bear arms are guaranteed by the constitution...there are other amendments just as important that are guaranteed but i don't want to confuse the eggplants
KSL... not my prez, I sure didnt vote for him, but that was because of Nancy, that woman scares me.... oh yea, I have more guns and amo than most everyone on this board. except maybe the gun store owner. And milton, the poor are getting killed anyway. My 45 wont stand a chance against the crooks uzi...
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