----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 1999
10:00 PM
Subject: Unidentified
subject!
I heard that Shirley
Ringo is proposing legislation that holds parents criminally liable if
their kid gets ahold of an unsecured firearm. I don't know the
specifics of the bill, but am suspect of any gun legislation proposed by
a Democrat(I know, I know, more hate speech by a
conservative).
I am all for measures
that protect kids from irresponsible adults and I am also disgusted by
parents that would endanger their kids by leaving unsecured weapons(or
poisons,matches, etc.) lying around. But would this law actually
save anyone?
I really am not
trying to be an over-zealous gun rights advocate that believes in no
restrictions whatsoever. I'm just trying to take an honest
approach to what will actually prevent tragedy. I don't think that
someone would lock up their guns because of this law if they didn't
before. As it stands now, if some kid finds his dads loaded pistol
and shoots himself, the punishment for the father is the loss of his
kids' life. If this isn't enough to deter someone from leaving a
loaded weapon around, then I don't think another law is going to do
it.
What the law would provide is justice for society that is angered by
this kind of irresponsibility. But I don't believe it will save
society from the tragedy in the first place. I hate to say it, but
if society has degraded to the point that we need to legislate common
sense and responsibility for parents, then it's time we take an honest
look at where our morals are headed.