Re: gun control

[sec@moscow.com]

Date forwarded: 	Fri, 18 Jun 1999 14:12:42 -0700 (PDT)
Send reply to:  	"John and Laurie Danahy" <JDANAHY@turbonet.com>
From:           	"John and Laurie Danahy" <JDANAHY@turbonet.com>
To:             	"Vision2020" <vision2020@moscow.com>
Subject:        	gun control
Date sent:      	Fri, 18 Jun 1999 14:12:26 -0700
Forwarded by:   	vision2020@moscow.com

> I've been resisting the impulse to join the fray here, enjoying rather
> sitting back and following the comments.  I'm puzzled by the apparent lack
> of realization of what is truly happening back in DC.  Congress, bless
> their little greedy hearts, is trying to show voters that they care about
> gun control while at the same time trying to show gun owners (NRA or not)
> that they care about gun owners rights.  The result is the foolishness

can't argue that!

> that is currently ongoing. The real solution here is not gun control, but
> using gun sales to finance education.  A 50% sales tax on all gun sales,
> private or other wise, used to provide for adequate counseling in our
> schools, would go a long way toward prevention of any more Littletons,
> which is the real driving force behind all this.  We cannot regulate guns

um, what differnece would that make? we spend more money on education
now than at any other time in history, yet 20 years ago we didn't have these
problems.

How about some prosecutions for parents who allow and encourage
there kids to toment and harras other students? 

> any more than we have been able to regulate drugs.  We should except the
> fact that ownership is here, put very stiff automatic sentencing on any
> crime in which a gun is visible, and tax the hell out of every sale.

well, they won't enforce the laws involving handgins and crime 
now.. I THINK (I would have to double check the code) that using a 
friearm ina crime makes it an automatic felony, a federal offence 
plus it (I think) is supposed to add an automatic 5 years on to a 
sentence, the problem is, this is almost never done.. under existing 
Law.. there should be over 400,000 prosecutions going on for trying 
to legaly buy a handgun (from a federaly licenesed dealer), (it's 
illegal to try to buy a handgun under the brady bill if you meet 
certain criteria, if you are turned down, your supposed to be 
arrested for trying).

there have been less than 7 arrests, and I believe (I could be 
mistaken) no convictions under this part of the law.

7 charges out of over 400,000 "crimes"

(oh, and the kid who shot up the school in Springfield Oregon, he 
was supposed to be in Jail, they caught him the day before with a 
hand gun in his possession, VERY Illegal.. why was he ALLOWED 
by the Govt (Federal Prosecutor) to be allowed to go free to kill his 
parents and classmates?)