I urge you to provide armed security in schools and tighten mental
health laws to keep guns out of the hands of those who are a danger to
themselves or others BUT LEAVE THE RIGHTS OF LAW-ABIDING GUN OWNERS
ALONE.
I vehemently oppose :
1. A three day waiting period
(3-Day Wait) on the purchase of all firearms. There is no way a 3-day
waiting period would have stopped the Parkland murderer. He bought his
gun many months before committing a planned, premeditated murder of 17
high school students and teachers. Proponents of a 3-day waiting period
claim the waiting period is supposed to stop a person from running out
in the heat of passion and buying a gun to kill someone. But they
ignore the fact that mass shootings have all been planned in advance.
2.
Ban on Bump Stocks. This was pulled out of the air to add more gun
control to appease anti-gun groups. The regulation of Bump Stocks is
currently being addressed by the U.S. Department of Justice. Banning
something that is being worked on at the federal level is just an excuse
to add another gun-ban-type item to the list. It had nothing to do
with the Parkland shooting.
3. Raise the age limit to purchase
rifles and shotguns from 18 to 21. 18 year-olds can vote, purchase a
car, sign a legal contract, become a law enforcement officer, join the
military and go overseas and die for our country but they shouldn't be
able to buy a rifle or shotgun for self-defense, hunting or target
shooting? This is a punitive, misguided and failed approach. The
result is that a 20-year-old man or woman would not be able to purchase
ANY firearm for self-defense, hunting or any other lawful purpose.
If raising the age to purchase a long gun would have stopped the
Parkland killer from purchasing a gun legally how could it have stopped
him from purchasing one illegally?
We must address BEHAVIOR -- and that is not accomplished with gun
control. Punishing law-abiding gun owners for the acts of a criminal,
instead of focusing on the abject failures of the FBI, Broward Sheriff's
office, Dept. of Children and Families, and a Deputy Sheriff who
wouldn't go into the school and stop the shooter is the wrong way to
deal with this situation. We can do better.
Steven Bass
Former LEO
Former State Licensed Security & Firearms Instructor.
Lawful Firearms Owner
Registered Voter
Tallahassee Florida
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell - but he never lived in Broward County did he.
ReplyDeleteThere are apparently no rough men ready to violence on the behalf of the citizens of Broward County employed by their sheriff's office.
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