Even the truth about guns sometimes misses the mark

If all gun owners were as responsible and law-abiding as Steve of Schaumburg, I wouldn't need to write this column. But Steve, a longtime, outspoken reader/friend/source/critic and passionate gun enthusiast, keeps warning me to tell readers the truth about guns -- or else.

In Steve's case, "or else" means that he might just be forced to buy a full-page ad in this paper so he can give you the truth I haven't. Having a gunman say, "Hand over the truth or I'll give you a wad of money" isn't all that threatening. But, as a guy who doesn't carry a piece, I'm all about keeping the peace. So here are a few paragraphs of truth (a tiny bit of it anyway) about guns.

We have gazillions of gun laws on the books already. They haven't stopped gun violence. Some legal guns are just as deadly as some banned guns. The laws vary from town to town and state to state (Illinois is one of the most restrictive). A visit to www.atf.gov/firearms will answer a lot of questions, but you also can find facts at www.handguncontrol.org and www.nra.org.

A law-abiding citizen who simply wants to buy a pistol to compete in marksmanship contests must fill out several state and federal forms, wait weeks for a Firearm Owner's Identification card, endure the three-day wait to buy the gun, and then research the gun laws in every county and municipality he or she might drive through on the way to the shooting competition.

The suburb where I live bans handguns and nuclear weapons. I always look in the garbage can next to that sign, hoping people will have the decency to throw away their half-empty handguns or small nuclear devices in the same way I've been forced to jettison a cup of coffee when I walk into a store that prohibits food and drinks.

The gun laws can be confusing (you don't have to register a gun in Illinois, unless you live in Chicago) or vague to the casual observer. Most importantly, gun laws often aren't enforced.

While criminals, by their natures, don't follow gun laws, sometimes the government doesn't either. Having a loaded gun in a car or in your luggage at the airport (even by accident) can be a felony, but the files are filled with athletes, celebrities and even politicians who were arrested on gun charges but still manage to avoid felony convictions or jail time.

Another truth is that even an anti-gun zealot such as I can envision a nightmarish moment when a gun could come in handy, prevent a crime or save a life.

But the truth also is that we are a nation afflicted with a gun-happy culture and a gun industry that uses fear to promote the falsehood that guns make us safer. About 30,000 Americans are killed by guns each year. There are nine guns for every 10 men, women and children in America today. How many more guns do we need to be safe?

With FBI data for 2006 showing a rise in gun violence, the International Association of Chiefs of Police released a report Thursday that includes 39 ways to curb gun carnage.

"It is our hope that all citizens and those that represent them take the opportunity to read the report, embrace their personal role in the fight against gun violence, and then do something about it," Russell Laine, Algonquin police chief, told ABC7 Chicago.

Laine is second vice president of the chiefs' association and a major contributor to the "Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities" study.

I encourage you to read the report at " target="new">www.theiacp.org. There are a lot of good gun truths in there.