A couple years ago I was a member of a group that invited people who did not understand or share shooting sports, hunting or self-protection enthusiasm to join together to see if we could find common ground and some agreement toward reducing or ending gun-related violence. We met for almost a year and finally disbanded because we were not even able to define basic causation, much less a workable solution.
The Gun Responsibility Advocates (GRA) believe that the total quantity of guns in existence, the lack of comprehensive legal regulations and the irresponsibility of most gun owners is the core of the problem. They have suggested that a gun is a “vector” that transmits anger from reservoir to host.
The yet-to-be defined term “universal background check” seems to be their solution to ending gun violence in our society. The gun rights gaggle (GRG), my term, know that gun violence is the result of a small portion of our society who live outside of law-abiding civility or individuals who are mentally out of touch with rational thought. The only way they know to resolve a problem is to harm or kill their detractor. This group has been ignored by our education system, forced into broken homes by our welfare system, and exploited by our progressive politicians.
We know that a gun is an inanimate object that has never injured anyone on its own initiative; there is always a person in control.
It cannot be denied that illegal gun possession, sales and use is at the core of the problem. Thousands of laws exist to resolve this problem if our court system would take a hard line and throw the book at anyone who commits a crime with a firearm.
I favor “Operation Exile,” which requires all felonies with a firearm be tried in federal court with no plea bargaining and mandatory sentences to be served in federal penitentiaries. This modern day “Lindberg Law” might get the attention of the most ignorant thug. In Richmond, Viginia, gun violence was reduced by 70%! The program was ended by Attorney General Holder because he claimed it was “racist” since the majority of affected criminals were black.
Operation Exile is favored by President Trump and endorsed by the NRA, who has never advocated gun violence, but rather sponsors gun and range safety, kids shooting programs and major competitive events. Operation Exile has measurable results and demonstrated success yet does not trample on anyone’s constitutional rights.
Existing federal, state and local laws are in place to solve the problem. What is needed is the stomach to turn the switch and courts that will “do the right thing.” If Ken Trainor and the GRA plan for expanded laws and regulations is initiated [An appeal to responsible gun owners, Viewpoints, March 1], we will need to find a way to enforce their new regulations and laws. That enforcement is the basis of the GRG argument.
That said, why not try the enforcement path first? It would be much swifter and cost a whole lot less money.
Ray Simpson has been an Oak Park resident for 50 years.
