More gun leniency the wrong way to go

Seeing as the House of Representatives is ready to take up a bill to allow for a variety of measures to allow for more guns, particularly assault-type weapons, to be used on the citizenry of this country, now is definitely the time for a discussion of gun control, or gun sense, as I like to call it.

Concealed carry reciprocity means that the weakest law in any state becomes the de facto law of the land. So people (voters) in a state that has a semblance of sensible gun policy would not be safe from the lax treatment of guns in a different state. Where are the states’ rights advocates on this one? Or are we once again selectively applying the principles of the Bill of Rights?

If we are so worried about hearing loss in gun owners, instead of advocating for silencers, why don’t we encourage them to wear ear protection? Allowing silencers makes it harder for law enforcement personnel to identify the source of gunfire and makes it harder for fleeing victims to know which way to run.

Other than for the maximum number of dead or injured victims, I can’t think of a single instance where possession and/or use of an assault-style weapon is called for. I am pretty sure our Founding Fathers were thinking about muskets and not envisioning assault rifles when they wrote the Constitution.

This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "More gun leniency the wrong way to go."