Dear editor: Another senseless shooting

Dear editor:

Once again, another senseless shooting. Yeah, I've heard the argument, guns don't kill people, people kill people. How many people would have been killed in the Colorado shooting or last night (July 23) in Louisiana if there was not a gun involved? Guns give people the opportunity to kill people.

We have more guns in this country than we have people! Fact is, it is just too easy to get a gun. This guy was from Alabama and was a convict who should not have had a gun. The man in South Carolina should not have gotten a gun either. The laws are so lax and so uneven in this country that it is impossible to keep the wrong people from getting a gun.

There are no requirements for safety classes, no requirements for gun security, like a safe or trigger lock, etc. Guns are stolen all the time all over the country and then end up on the streets for anyone to obtain. Guns are sold by private citizens at swap meets, garage sales and flea markets all the time with no background checks.

I own a gun. And I do not want to give it up. But, we need some sensibility in our laws and regulations. Maybe a three-day waiting period is not enough time to do a proper background check. Maybe a gun safe should be mandatory. Maybe semi-automatic hand guns and assault rifles should be required to be stored at a gun range only. It seems that that is where they are used, so why not?

There should be penalties for losing control of your gun, be it stolen or lost. It is a heavy responsibility to own a gun and when you shirk that responsibility, you should be required to pay for it. We are held responsible for our cars in an accident, why not guns? Maybe we need to have gun insurance.

Steven Bank

Hot Springs

Editorial on 07/29/2015

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