Asking for the impossible?
All were shocked and horrified at the massacre of schoolchildren in Connecticut. There are things which can be done to mitigate future events of this sort. However, vilifying law-abiding gun owners is not among them.
President Obama is urging quick action on gun control without serious debate at the federal level, even as the Illinois House recently failed to have enough votes to act on Senate Bill 2899. Instead, there must be time for thoughtful people to make their voices heard.
Action taken in haste never leads to a good result. There is no evidence that any form of gun control would have prevented the tragedy in Newtown, nor in the foreseeable future.
Bad guys have a way to get guns, even from the police and military. Good guys seem to take all the heat. We absolutely need a way for adjudicated mental health issues to be incorporated into the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS), in a way which protects privacy and avoids the us of non-judicial opinions.
Face-to-face sales need a mechanism whereby background checks can be made, including gun shows, which are just one form of FTF sales. Rules without a practical process are not likely to gain much support.
The so-called “Terror Watch List” is a secret process not subject to correction of errors. Without an appeal process, use of this list is akin to the 16th century star chamber proceedings. Riding a wave of emotion to achieve an unpopular resolution is no way for those on the left to realize political goals of long standing.
Nancy J. Thorner
Lake Bluff