More gun laws will 'punish law-abiding citizens,' not criminals
Editor:
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A recent study conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that the knife assault rate in that country is higher than the aggravated assault rate in the United States. Between 2005 and 2006, there were 169,400 knife assaults in the UK - a 277-per-100,000 knife assault rate.
Compare this to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 257 per 100,000 aggravated assault rate in the U.S. The same report stated that knife crime had risen in the UK by 25 percent during the same time period. One must remember that the UK has some of the strictest gun laws in the world.
I mention these statistics to take exception with the Bill Shipp column, "Don't expect shooting to reform gun law," in the April 29 News-Times. Shipp describes the recent tragic killing of three people by a University of Georgia professor. He wonders why this hasn't happened sooner and mentions that deadly shootings are on the increase. Shipp states, "Despite what you might have heard, guns do kill people."
It is this last quote with which I take the most exception. Guns do not kill people - people kill people! A gun is nothing more than a tool. A hammer does not drive nails without a person wielding the hammer. A screw does not tighten down of its own accord; it takes a human to turn the screwdriver. Knives do not stab people without a human guiding the blade. And a gun certainly does not kill anyone without someone pulling the trigger.
It appears that Shipp is wishing for more restrictive gun laws. Recall what one of the 20th century's more progressive leaders said in 1933 about his nation's gun control laws: "This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!"
This was said by Adolf Hitler, and we all know how that progressive idea turned out! Be careful what you wish for.
No, the answer to violent crime is to punish the criminal and not the law-abiding citizens who simply want an effective means to protect themselves.
Eddie B. Hulsey
Evans