=========================================================================== Guns, violence go together By Dorothy DiCintio Gannett Suburban newspapers March 1, 1994 ---------------------------------- Guns in America: an issue that evokes passionate rhetoric and action on both sides. Violence has become the No. 1 concern for most Americans. We want less of it! The fact is, guns and violence go together. There is scarcely a person in this country who has not been affected by the proliferation of crime - particularly crime committed with guns. Aggressive behavior without a weapon will cause pain and injury. Such behavior with a knife will cause worse injury. But when guns are involved, lives are ended or life-altering injuries result. People who have worked in emergency rooms over a period of years tell graphically of the difference in the wounds now and those they treated years ago, before there were more than 200 million guns in the United States. Put aside polls and studies on the subject of guns. Seventy-eight percent if Americans want more controls on their sale. This figure includes many National Rifle Association members. Psychological studies show the mere presence of a gun in a room will evoke more violent reactions. We have had a 147 percent rise in firearm related assaults in Westchester County between 1985 and 1990. Guns have one purpose: to kill or injure. Why do people need or want guns? We usually hear two answers: For protection, and because it's a Constitutional right. Wrong on both counts. If we read the whole Second Amendment, it's quite clear that the "right to bear arms" refers to the militia. The intent is not that individual homes become arsenals. Weapons in the home simply make it a dangerous place to live. Children are killing and maiming themselves and each other. We are told this will not happen if the gun is properly stored. Proper storage would mean the gun is locked in a safe place, unloaded. How then does that allow for defense against an intruder? Will there be time to go to the designated safe place, unlock and load the gun? What about domestic violence, which causes a huge percentage of handgun deaths? Angry words turn into gunshots when a gun is available. Those of us who wish to limit the number of guns are not trying to take the rifle from the hunter or prohibit the law-abiding citizen from legally obtaining one. Will federal gun-control laws end crime and violence? No. Do we need stiffer sentences for violent crimes? Possibly. Do we need more police on the streets? Probably. Do we need to attend to the causes of violence? Definitely! But doing one of these things doesn't mean we can't do all of them, if necessary. If we control access to guns, we can still educate, patrol, keep repeat offenders off the streets. The equation is simple: Fewer guns means less shooting and killing. Most Americans agree on the necessity for more controls on the sale and distribution of guns. Why, then, has it taken so long for even the most basic legislation to become law? The answer couldn't be more simple: It's economic. The extremely powerful gun lobby is run and supported by the gun manufacturers and sellers, and they are fighting for their financial lives. The NRA uses its tremendous budget effectively and efficeintly. Last, but not least, what possible reason is there for private citizens to have assault weapons? Assault weapons are for use by the armed forces or, now by necessity, by our uniformed police. The gun lobby's attempt to stop legislation that would end easy access to these horrific weapons of destruction is nothing short of a scandal, an insult to the average American, and a death warrant for law enforcement personnel. Where do we go from here? Stronger federal legislation is needed. State and local laws will, and should, be passed. But as long as access to guns is as simple as a trip across state lines, these laws cannot be totally effective. We need to strenghten the Brady law. All guns must be licensed. There should be a longer waiting period before the purchase, more thorough background checks, and mandatory training in the use and care of guns. The possession of a gun by children under age 18, or those convicted of violent misdemeanors, must be prohibited. There also should be stricter regultions for gun dealers and a high fee for obtaining such a license. Finally, we must have a total ban on semiautomatic assault weapons. The Brady law and further enactment of these provisions will begin to set us on a course to regain the quality of life we were once privileged to enjoy in this country. =========================================================================== The above article shows the desregard for fact and truth that characterizes HCI's current propaganda. It serves as a good practice text, since this is standard HCI dogma, and is found in use by all those trained by them. By having the facts on hand to reveal the lies and distortions, we can neutralize much of the effect.