Deterring bad guys from having guns

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Second Amendment to the Constitution establishes a personal right to own a handgun for self-defense. Formerly, courts have held that the right to bear arms was only a collective right connected to maintaining a well-regulated militia. Federal, state and local laws will dictate whether handguns, rifles or shotguns would be necessary for self-defense. Federal laws would eliminate AK-47s and TEC 9s for self-defense. There are many ways to keep criminals from possessing handguns.

When people apply for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card, they swear by a penalty of perjury to never having been convicted of a felony or having a mental problem. Perjury in either case should be a fine of $1,000 and one year confinement. Same goes if a person uses a false name to get an FOID card. Or someone who has a mental disability who buys a gun by a third party. Or a felon or anyone else who has a handgun but no FOID card. If a felon uses a hand gun in the commission of a crime, that person could be convicted of two separate crimes.

By enforcing these rules we could remove most of the guns from gangbangers, drug dealers and assorted neighborhood hoodlums. The Supreme Court only gives the right to possess weapons to those who obey the laws, not hoodlums who disrespect our laws.

Richard F. Nelson

Aurora