The ABCs of Gun Control
by S.P. Fjestad

As important as anything else is to be as unified as we can this year. There's strength and power in numbers, and the dissenting factions and related whiners now have to get their oars in the water with the rest of us and pull - hard. That means if you're still holding a grudge against the NRA, including the cop killer bullets and machine gun issues, get over it, and send in your lifetime membership check NOW - it's never been more important. If you enjoy guns, and still have faith that the American system works for the majority, every one of you this fall has to vote against any anti-gun incumbent or candidate, regardless of their political affiliation or stance on other issues.

Being gun proactive this year also means supporting your local and national shooting associations, conservation organizations, and maybe most importantly, volunteering your time to help today's kids learn and appreciate how much fun the safe handling of firearms can be. If every one of us votes, and spends at least $200 this year on supporting firearms associations/organizations, conservation groups, local hunting and shooting clubs, and firearms heritage museums, we're going to be in good shape by the time we bring out the party favors at the end of 2000.

Independence and freedom have always carried a stiff price tag. Our best defense has always been a strong offense. Are we overpaying for freedom these days? Is all the violence, crime and destruction (some of it firearms related) worth it? Can we afford this anymore? And more importantly, if we didn't have our freedoms and independence, what would they be worth to us? No one seems to mind or complain about America winning WWI or WWII. And we didn't do it with gun control or major press badmouthing and second guessing. I've always said that without guns in America, the 4th of July would be another country's holiday.

We all know that more gun laws are not the answer - enforcement is. Regardless if the laws restrict, prohibit, or ban the number of guns you can buy, the amount of ammo you can own, magazine capacity, configuration, barrel length, or concealed carry, they simply won't have any affect on criminals or criminal activity. All that is accomplished is to further restrict the law abiding citizen. How many thugs do you know that will safely install a trigger lock on their stolen gun(s)?

Isn't it sad and ironic that when a drunk driver kills somebody, we all know it's the driver's fault. No one seems to care that GM, Ford, & Chrysler could put in a breathalyzer ignition device, their equivalent of a trigger lock, to possibly prevent this automotive bloodshed. Whenever the Internet gets hacked into, and some credit card cyberspace ripoff occurs, does anybody ever point the finger at the computer? Of course not. But when a crime occurs using a gun, it's the gun's fault, not the criminal activity behind it. The difference is that when something bad happens with a gun, the results can usually be measured in blood and by the amount of prime time media hype and political grandstanding. Maybe it's time to take a lead from M.A.D.D., and form G.O.A.C. (Gun Owners Against Crime). Think of the funding!

Once we all accept the fact that both guns and gun related violence are not going to go away in this country, perhaps we should concentrate on how guns can be more safely integrated into our society, with the law abiding citizen becoming a crucial part of the crime stopping solution, instead of trying to make us "safer" by taking our gun rights away.