My Response to a Gun Control Advocate

     A few days ago a Facebook friend I met through my wife, Adam Starks, posted an article on his blog, Political Cognizance (http://politicalcognizance.blogspot.com) entitle "No Respect, No Pride: Marksmanship in America". In it he expressed his support for gun control as well as his views on the NRA and the American gun culture in general. Being the proud gun owner that I am, I decide to give it a read. As expected, I pretty much disagreed with everything he very eloquently presented. As soon as finished I wanted to give and immediate response to the assertions he stated in his article, but as I began writing, it became evident that my response needed to be more deliberate and thought out. After 2 days of writing I came up with the response below. Before reading it, I encourage you to read the article posted by my friend Adam, even if you disagree with his position as I did.

     Hey Adam. The article was a good read. Although I totally disagree with your position, I can respect someone who states their point of view without name calling and insults. I do have a several points to make thought. My first point is that you mentioned that training is required to get a driver’s license. This is not necessarily true. Competence is required. Through written and field (road) test drivers are tested on their knowledge of traffic laws and ability to operate a motor vehicle. I don’t know if this is required in your state but you do not need formal training prior to taking a road test in Virginia. However in Commonwealth of Virginia, as with many other states, you need to show proof of instruction to get a concealed carry permit as well as go through background checks to get that permit. Last I check you don’t need a background check to get a driver’s license. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need to specify if you are a drug or alcohol user or abuser for a driver’s license application. You do however for a gun buying application. Also going back to your driving analogy, how often licensed drives are re-test for competency. I can tell you that it’s never. You could pretty much be a functional addict that has never been caught driving under the influence and still get your license without any probing by the DMV into your medical history.

My second point addresses your comment insinuating that the NRA wants as many untrained people with guns as possible. This is simply not true. The NRA has several gun safety courses at gun ranges and in some cases gun stores throughout the country. I even remember as a child going through an Eddie Eagle program in elementary school. This program along with my parents’ guidance on the dangers of firearms let me know at an early age that guns are not toys. The only thing I regret is the fact that I was not exposed to the shooting sports earlier. I did not shot my first firearm until last year when purchased my Ruger P95 9mm handgun. Once I got use to handling a firearm not only did it remove the taboo of firearms but it also increased my respect for them. Firearms are very power tools and like other power tools (i.e. cars, chainsaws) they should be handled and treated with great respect.

     Another thing you mentioned is that only cops and military should have access to so-called “assault weapons”. Well these assault weapons, or modern sporting rifles as they should be called, are handled by millions of people every day with the rare occurrence of violence perpetrated with these weapons. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report the majority of all gun crimes (80-90%) are committed with handguns. If that is the case, shouldn't there be a push to strict gun control laws for handguns instead if rifles. But we already have an example of this to examine, D.C. and Chicago. Both cities have very strict guns laws yet they crime in D.C. and especially Chicago is rampant. But many like you say, “What about Sandy Hook, Aurora and Tuscon. We have to do something about these incidents.” Well we can do something that addresses these horrific incidents without hurting law abiding gun owners. First we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books. In order to purchase a gun, every buyer and seller must fill out a form 4473 under the authority of the BATFE. On this form several questions are asked. Here is sample what’s on the form.

     When filling out this form, the first the applicant sees in bold is the following.

Warning: You may not receive a firearm if prohibited by Federal or State law. The information you provide will be used to determine whether you are prohibited under law from receiving a firearm. Certain violation of the Gun Control Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 921 et. seq., are punishable by up 10 year imprisonment and/or up to a $250,000 fine.

Therefore, if you lie on the form you can be subject to Federal prosecution. If the dealer sells a gun with falsified information they can face prosecution and loss of their Federal Firearms License (FFL) This form serves as the first step in a background check. Next are some questions.

11a. Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form? Warning: You are not the actual person if you are acquiring the firearms on the behalf of another person. If you are not the actual person the dealer cannot transfer the firearm.

b. Are you under indictment for any felony or other crime for which the judge could imprison you for more than one year?

c. Have you ever been convicted in any court of a felony, or other crimes, for which the judge could have imprisoned you for one year, even if you received a shorter sentence including probation?

e. Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressants, stimulants, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?

f. Have you ever been adjudicated mentally defective (which includes a determination by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that you are a danger to yourself or to others or are incompetent to manage your own affairs) OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?

i. Have you ever been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence?

      As you can see from the question, this form addresses many of the concerns gun control advocates have. The form screens for prior convictions, mental illness and domestic violence offenses among other things. In addition to this form, the FFL dealer must also call either the State Police for a background check or use the National Instant Check System (NICS) at buyer’s expense. This is what I went through to buy my gun and will continue to go through when I purchase guns in the future. The system working in Virginia and in many other states, but in many cases those that are caught trying to purchase a gun with false info or purchase a gun with the knowledge that they are convicted felons are not prosecuted. What’s needed it better enforcement of existing laws and more resources for enforcing these laws. Things such as “assault weapon bans” and magazine restriction are nothing but feel good legislation. In the long run they do nothing but hurt the law abiding and empower criminal.

   Evil will find a way to rear its ugly head regardless of what laws you pass. Example include the recent Boston Marathon bombing, 9-11, the 7-7 bombings, The Oklahoma City bombing and the much forgotten Bath School Massacre of 1927. If you are not familiar with it I’ll explain. On May 18, 1927 in Bath Township, Michigan, Andrew Kehoe  killed 38 elementary school children and 6 adults, and injured at least 58 other people. Kehoe first killed his wife, fire-bombed his farm and set off a major explosion in the Bath Consolidated School, before committing suicide by detonating a final explosion in his truck.  This is still the deadliest mass murder in a school in United States history. This type of carnage was not done with guns and evil mass killer will use any means necessary to carry out their twisted acts.

     After the Boston Marathon bombing, Patton Oswalt said “The good outnumber you, and we always will”. This is very true; however, if we restrict the power of good people to do stand up to the power that evil possesses, evil will continue to prevail.