To the editor:
I am not a pro- or anti-gun guy. My issue is the continual felons who are arrested and one of their charges always seems to be the possession of a firearm.
I would like to see a mammoth penalty for those who have made the firearm available to the felon. Seems many girlfriends and family members are the providers. If they get harsh penalties, maybe they will cease the practice coupled with anonymous protection.
Secondly, firearm ownership should be tracked. I know for a fact that my Southern relatives acquire firearms through the death of friends and fathers. None of those actions are vetted.
Also, I’ve seen mental problems for citizens who had already purchased firearms prior to their diagnosis of their imbalance. So who does a concerned person call to have those firearms taken away? I’ve seen many mentally-unbalanced shooters go on a rampage, and their close friends and family have observed their deteriorating behavior. But what does it take for authorities to come take away their accessible firearms and who exactly do you call to make this happen ?
— George Graf, Palmyra, Va.
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We Can Do Better, South Carolina!
“Responsible gun owners” don’t actually take responsibility over owning a gun. If they did, there would be insurance policies that protect potential victims whenever a first purchase was made and a paper trail that would place criminal use of that weapon squarely at the feet of the original owner so that irresponsible sales could not be made to people of questionable intellect, mental health or intent.
Before I left the U.S. at the end of last year (to avoid the upcoming insanity), I sold and gave away 51 firearms. I vetted every purchaser and would not sell to anybody with children under 16, anybody who obviously did not know how to handle the firearms in front of me safely or anybody whose anger I had ever witnessed. I called ATF, FBI and SLED to provide them with receipts, including CWP copies, so that the firearms could be tracked should they ever be used for criminal purposes. NONE OF THOSE AGENCIES wanted the paperwork or even cared, despite my fervent need to ensure there was no dishonor on the original owner’s name or blood on my hands.
And there’s the real crime.