By R D (Sam) Marquess —
I feel the need to respond to a couple of recent letters to the editor. In Saturday”s paper, Dean Sparks went on about gun violence. I admit that I own guns (virtually all as inheritances and older than my 72 years of age). I have on occasion went to the gun cabinet and asked each one “which of you are violent?” I, of course have not had any of them own up to their violent intentions.
The liberals want to control human behavior by legislating use of material things. It would seem that if this approach would do anything to further their agenda, it would have happened by now.
Sparks quotes Bill O”Reilly and Martin Dugard”s “Killing Kennedy” as apparently a relative correlation between gun control legislation that is from 50 years ago. I think that in today”s world, Chicago is the current “murder capitol of the United States” and that
Chicago has the most restrictive gun laws in the country. I am a supporter of Bill O”Reilly in general, but am not sure of the accuracy of the statement to which Sparks references.
In any case, after JFK”s brother Bobby was assassinated, Congress rushed through the “gun control act of 1968,” which in turn established the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).
This is, in my opinion one of the most subversive organizations ever established by the US government. Since that time, the 2nd Amendment rights of the U.S. citizens have been stomped upon. Criminals (who are not citizens if they are felons) pay no attention to any laws anyway, which apparently only surprises the liberal lawyers that wrote them.
I guess that there has not been a liberal politician who has ever tried to drive a nail and hit his/her thumb. If that had happened, we surely would have restrictions on (the bad) hammers, and possible hammer registration & nail purchase requirements and record keeping.
It seems to me that the bow & arrow was a technical advancement over the spear. And the firearm (gun & projectile) was an advancement over the bow and arrow.
It only follows that firearms are the tool of choice for “persons” who want to do violence to other people. The real solution is not to blame the tool but to reduce the inclination of persons to try to do violent actions in the first place.
I think a serious investment in mental health care has the possibility to actually affect the “gun violence” epidemic which in reality has very little to do with guns.
The other thing, Darryl Smith stole my thunder. I was going to repeat that I”m sure thankful for Al Gore”s global warming, without it, this last week. I”m sure we would have all frozen to death.
R D (Sam) Marquess
Hidden Valley Lake
