Mr. Burnley’s article titled “Taking a stance on gun control” in the Sept. 27 edition is exactly the type of closed-minded gun advocacy that keeps guns in the hands of criminals. His points are the same ones we always hear:
• It is in the Constitution. The Constitution has been changed many times and was intended to be a living document. The founding fathers were in danger of an attack by a large army and its own army was a band of citizens, not a standing armed force. The circumstances today have changed greatly and to cling to this constitutional “right” defies actual discussion of the problem.
• People who have strong opinions on either side are “Looney Tunes.” “Looney Tunes” on either side of the issue is an insulting term for both gun proponents and opponents and again dismisses any possibility of rational discussion.
• People will get guns if they really want them. Perhaps for some phase-out period, that would be the situation, but it is a sacrifice worth undertaking for the security of future generations. Calling it impossible to prevent mentally ill individuals from going on shooting sprees is akin to saying that seatbelt laws are bad because there will still be people who choose not to wear their seatbelts.
Overall, Mr. Burnley is a typical gun owner who secretly fears his right to bear arms will be taken away, so he throws up his hands and says since there is no easy solution, we must laugh at rational conversation aimed at solving this epidemic of mass murder and suicide at the hands of guns that is a uniquely American problem.
While my personal views leak through in this letter, I am by no means an advocate of eliminating guns for hunting or even protection in some cases. But anyone who thinks that trying to solve a gigantic problem of any kind is simply “too hard” to tackle is not someone I am going to respect. Guns are a huge problem in our society and there need to be ways to address the problem without eliminating their lawful use and without dismissing efforts to curb the problem as “too hard”.
John Sertich
Rehoboth Beach
