Dear editor this a response to last week’s letters concerning, firearms and gun control.
I like everyone else am saddened and angered at another attack on the children of our country, at the hands of a psychopath. The murderer went to his school with a AR-15 and killed several students, but who and what failed that day? Was it gun laws or lack thereof?
The perpetrator went into a “gun free zone” with a firearm, so by just doing that he broke the law, but no one was there to enforce it. He legally purchased the firearm from a FFL. The FFL did the Federal background check that is conducted by the FBI-NICS. Local and federal law enforcement was notified and/or dealt with the unstable monster 39 times, but was never convicted of anything, such as attacking parents and kids, bringing knives and bullets to school, and posting spine chilling statements on social media. Since never being convicted, when the background check was conducted and on paper he had a clean record, he was able to purchase a firearm. I do not see how the laws failed but I do think the enforcers of the law failed. In the Parkland FL attack, a bump-stock was not used. The attacker used 10 round magazines because they were easier to put in his bag. So banning “high-capacity” would not have helped this case, and he bought multiple 10 round magazines on his own accord even though he could have bought ones with much more capacity.
Only law-abiding citizens follow laws. The definition of a criminal is someone who breaks laws. My opinion is no matter how many laws, there are people determined on doing evil and will do it one way or another no matter how many laws. A gun free zone is like not having a fence around a chicken coop hoping the predators leave them alone. If the only person in a gun free zone that has a gun is the bad guy, and none of the good guys have guns and are able to confront the predator, the villain literally has all the time in the world to reload, no matter if it is a modern sporting rifle or an old single shot shotgun.
I would also like to give a few facts: AR-15 stand for Armalite Rifle, model 15. AR-15’s are not capable of firing “full auto”. The caliber is .223rem/ 5.56nato. The .223 caliber is much smaller than any common “hunting round” such as .308, 30-06, 30-30. AR-15’s are used with much success to hunt game. They are light weight and low recoil, great for young or new shooters/ hunters.
The second amendment was not put in place to protect the right to hunt or only to own the guns the government sees fit for civilians. It was wrote down to protect every Americans right to protect themselves, how they see fit. If you don’t want to own any weapons, that’s your right. If you want to own a “high capacity” firearms to protect yourself, your family and your property, that’s also your right.
The difference between a subject and a citizen is the one has weapons and the other does not. We cannot let a failing government, that failed at Parkland have more control of our already heavy regulated rights. We must stop relying on the government.
Titus “TC” Helmick
Resident and Business owner
