by Jerry Esmay, Stevensville
Three letters in last week’s Star accused the Republicans of being complicit with murders created with guns by not supporting more gun control. Well, this old cowboy says BS. Guns don’t kill people, people kill other people.
I grew up in a small town in South Dakota where most of us drove to school as there were no school buses in that area back then. Almost without exception, every vehicle had at least one gun in a rack behind the seat in pickups or in the truck of cars. We didn’t shoot anybody. No, the current crime wave is not because of guns.
I propose that the current criminal activity we see falls clearly at the feet of liberal Democrats. When the “Defund the Police” movement was started back following the death of George Floyd, I called that the dumbest thing I had ever heard. Well guess what, my prediction has proven to be true. Crime has sky-rocketed with further stupid, liberal pushed agendas such as “no bail”, dramatic reduction in criminal charges, “close prisons”, etc. The net result is that we now have more criminals out on our streets and a growing recognition among them that they don’t have to worry about punishment.
Associated with all of this is the growing mental and drug problems permeating our society. Again, back when I grew up, folks with mental problems were addressed by non-voluntary hospitalization for adults and/or being sent to “reform” schools if the individual was a minor. Similarly, illegal drug use had stiff penalties intended in part to try and rehabilitate the individual early on. Unfortunately, somewhere back in the 1960s and/or 1970s the liberals convinced us that the above treatments were inhumane so many mental hospitals were closed and we tried to rely on allowing folks with mental problems to remain out in society. Minors with anti-society behavior were given light sentences and expected to “grow out of it.”
So guess what? We now have an increasing population of folks with mental and/or drug problems living on our streets, and criminal activity running rampart. On top of this is the growing fentanyl drug problem associated with the open border strategy of the Democrats. There were more deaths from fentanyl overdoses in our country LAST YEAR then were the total military deaths during the ENTIRE Vietnam War. Why as Americans are we allowing the southern border invasion to continue? This is pure TREASON occurring before your very eyes.
Nicole says
The part of “gun control” not getting the attention it deserves, gun dealers! Firearm dealer’s have a moral & legal obligation to follow the law when it comes to gun sales. Are they? I’ve heard multiple accounts of shady, loopholes used in gun sales. What good are the laws in place, if they are overreached?
Alan says
The majority of gun control folks don’t know squat about guns. I’ve asked for years what constitutes the fantasy “assault” rifle, have never gotten a legitimate reply. Leave the guns alone, they are not the problem. That should be obvious to all.
Bill Stroud says
Ok, I’ll bite. “maximum wound effect” said one of the designers of the AR 15. The smaller caliber yet higher velocity rounds become unstable upon entering a body and shred the flesh vs a cleaner path from a larger caliber. Yes, AR’s now come in a variety of calibers but this rifle along with the original 5.56 caliber was designed specifically as an effective killing machine. Now, add high-capacity magazines and there you have it…the preferred weapon of choice for a mass shooter. Not rocket science for someone with intent to find that out. Ain’t no ‘fantasy’ about it.
Alan says
Nonsense. How does a 5.56 round, essentially a .223 round from an “assault” rifle differ from one from a hunting rifle? Lol. I can also get a hcm for my scopes hunting rifle, so then it becomes an assault rifle? As stated, the advocates of gun control know absolutely nothing about guns, there is no such thing as an assault rifle in the civilian gun world.
David Welch says
Who cares what you call it? The gun used in the Uvalde massacre; the gun you wanted the killer have; the one you want future killers to have. That gun and ammo ripped apart the children’s bodies so thoroughly that DNA testing was required to confirm identifies. Just the way you wanted it.
So if it makes your black little heart feel better, call it a turnip; call it cheese whiz; call it anything you want. And 19 children are still dead because of you.
Alan says
Your emotional argument is not based on fact. The killer had 40 freaking minutes to do his dirty work, he could have accomplished the same thing with a pocket knife in that amount of time. Thanks for proving my point though, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
Bill Stroud says
Well, there we have it. The most comprehensive argument yet for ‘guns don’t kill people’. “He could have accomplished the same thing with a pocket knife in that amount of time”. The Uvalde shooter had left his pocket knife at home but luckily for him he just happened to have a couple recently purchased AR’s in the truck. What were the odds?
David Welch says
Alan,
Overlooking the obvious fact that a semiautomatic firearm has at least slightly more potential to cause harm than a pocket knife, let me ask you a couple of questions. Why do you suppose law enforcement did not intervene sooner than they finally did? Could it be that Salvador Ramos was armed with a semiautomatic firearm and seven thirty round magazines of ammunition?
David Welch says
One of the most childish and naïve arguments supporting the widespread distribution of firearms is the ‘guns don’t kill people’ defense.
But, just for fun, let’s go with it.
Guns don’t kill people. OK. But bullets do kill people. I’m sure even people with limited cognitive abilities, such as Jerry Esmay, can agree to this obvious fact.
And ff it’s the bullets that are killing people, why not have bullet control? I am a big fan of Chris Rock’s suggestion for bullet control: $1,000 bullets! I think all of us can agree that $1,000 bullets would put a big damper on mass shootings. I’m pretty sure Salvador Ramos would have thought twice about spraying 210 rounds of 223 ammo around an elementary school classroom if he had to shell out $210,000 for ‘em!
As a nod to all the 2nd Amendment worshippers out there, I would personally be in favor of exempting muzzle loaded musket balls from the $1,000 rule. After all, that’s what the 2nd Amendment was referring to in the first place.
Gomez says
Jerry. Do you believe that anyone should be able to walk into a sporting goods store & without any sort of ID or background check, be able to buy a fully automatic machine gun?
Please note that I know that because of gun control laws this is not currently legal, but do you think it should be? If not, would that not mean that you are also in favor of some restrictions on who can buy firearms and which type?