Gun control is not the answer January 16, 2013
Dear Editor:
The Connecticut school shooting was tragic. No one can understand what the survivors and families are going through.
As any parent who has lost a child can attest, the anguish is almost unbearable. While the pain eventually abates, it never goes away.
Unfortunately, government is using this tragedy to advance more gun control, and gun control is not the answer. Nevertheless, the administration has announced that President Obama can bypass Congress and enact gun control by executive order.
Vice president Biden has suggested making penalties stiffer for anyone found carrying a gun in a school zone. That would not have deterred the Connecticut shooter. He was not caught carrying weapons and he didn't plan to live long enough to be penalized.
Gun bans only stop law-abiding citizens. They do not stop criminals or unstable people. People determined to take as many lives as possible usually target places where guns are banned. The ban on carrying guns in the Aurora theater was probably one reason that shooter chose the theater. He could kill more people because no armed citizens were present.
The Second Amendment guarantees right to bear arms to U.S. citizens. Having lived through an abusive monarchy, the founders wanted citizens able to defend themselves, even against government. Giving up your guns reduces your power. Governments love that!
Please memorize this quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin: "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Bruce Many
Eckert