Sunday, October 27, 2002
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Sunday, October 27, 2002 |
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Gun control By MARY JANE
HOLT I find it strange that politicians are tiptoeing around the issue of gun control just now. Really strange. If there ever has been a time for such debate this is it. With the shooting of a 12th sniper victim in the Washington D.C. area in less than a month, it's time to talk guns. Gun access. Gun ownership. Gun control. First, let's consider access. As long as guns exist, guns are accessible to somebody who wants one bad enough. Think you've got an argument for that one? Think again. If you come up with a way/s for the good guys to have guns and have them totally inaccessible to the bad guys, write to me in care of this newspaper. Now, let's look at gun ownership. There are far too many opinions on gun ownership for me to ever get around to discussing all of them in this column. So since it's my column, let me say clearly that I think every responsible American who wants a gun should own a gun. Why? Because the bad guys are not going away. And they are going to have guns. Somehow. Some way. So what should I have? A telephone? A whistle? A can of pepper spray? An alarm system? A baseball bat? I don't think so. I like a more level playing field. I have known terror. I was caught up in it for several months when I was in nursing school. A prowler harassed me day and night. The police force and the GBI, in the city in which I lived, failed to catch this guy. I eventually had to move to another residence, an upstairs apartment that would be "less accessible to the prowler" and I was told to change my phone number. Can you imagine? If I had it to do over again, I would have taken the shooting lessons that the police detective recommended, stayed put, and gotten my man. But I was gripped with terror and that terror made my choices for me. No more. Today, I own a gun and I know how to shoot it. I would shoot to kill anyone who tried to maliciously invade my home or attempted to do harm to me or mine. I feel no hesitancy at all as I write that. Am I happy or proud that I feel that way? No. Terror changes you. No wonder the voters who adopted the most stringent gun laws in the land are now in lines to buy guns. I understand how they feel. It may be that more and more Americans are starting to understand much they would prefer not to truly understand. Some might ask why I don't think every American should be required to own a gun. There are those who feel that way, but I am not among them. I like the fact that the bad guy is left to wonder if I have a gun. And now for gun control. I may be open to further registration. I'm just not sure at this point. I'm open to background checks on those desiring to obtain permits to carry guns. I'm open to enforcing present laws and punishing abusers. I think it's time for everything to be out on the table. It's a fact that automobiles are real killers in America today and the tags on our automobiles are registered to us. Of course the car thief who takes my car can easily swap out the tag. And serial numbers can be filed off. I like the fact that drivers of automobiles are required to take tests to prove they are capable of driving safely prior to obtaining a license to drive. So do I think every potential gun owner should be required to demonstrate that he or she can safely handle a gun prior to purchasing one? Maybe. And that brings us to the many faces of gun control. Gun control, put simply, is knowing how to care for a gun, how to safely store it, how and when to shoot it, and how to hit one's target. Does gun control need to be taken farther than that? I honestly do not know. I do think there are a great number of cowardly politicians out there right now who are refusing to discuss this issue just prior to election.
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