Mr. Editor, I challenge anyone to doubt or to question me when I say there are more illegal guns on the streets of this small 2×2 country than there are licensed guns.
Tell me something: When is the last time you heard or read where a person who was shot was shot by a licensed firearm? Not since ‘Dollars Rule’ when he shot that ‘thiefman’ in Belmont some years ago, have I heard about a licensed firearms holder shooting somebody.
The homicides in this country, the majority of which are committed by gunmen, are done by young men who have access to unlicensed firearms. And no amount of Gun Amnesty by Police Commissioner after Commission is going to help. No gunman wants to give up his gun once he gets accustomed to it; it is now part of his life.
In the meantime, the licensed firearm holders feel safe with their guns at easy reach, but they are not the targets of the unlicensed firearm holders.
How often have we heard of some shopkeeper being robbed? They are not the targets because the gunmen who might want to commit robbery, know that the shopkeeper more than likely might have a licensed firearm.
And that brings me to the point. I would hope that when licences for firearms are granted that they are granted to people who deserve them – businessmen, executives, shopkeepers, farmers, bailiffs, politicians, news editors. I hope that due diligence is conducted so that people of known criminal connections and people who have ‘contacts’ in the ‘right’ places are not granted licences.
Back to my point: With all the illegals guns on the street, the authorities cannot sit back and say how this is an open country with many coves and bays, and the Coast Guard cannot keep check on all the gun smugglers. The funny thing is, though, from what I hear, many of those illegal guns come into this country in interesting ways that beat the system by looking at it straight in the face.
People in uniforms are not always who you think they are.
Charles, Edinboro
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