Gun control laws simply don't work

Since the Newtown school shooting, the anti-gun crowd has been pushing for more gun control laws “to prevent crime and violence.” There have been gun control laws in effect since the 1920s and they didn’t prevent the recent shootings. Laws are usually enforced after the fact. The shooting in Newtown was committed with stolen weapons and gun laws didn’t prevent it.

Two of the reason shooters are targeting schools are.

1. There are a large number of victims available in a confined space.

2. Because of current school “no weapons” policies, these victims are virtually defenseless.

1. To help prevent further violence in schools there should be an armed officer present while school is in session.

2. Fully trained and qualified members of the school staff should be armed, on a voluntary basis, with an appropriate weapon. Qualification and training should be done by local law enforcement, including a full firearms background check. The identity of the armed staff members should be classified.

The newspaper that printed the names and addresses of the town’s registered gun owners committed a tremendous and irresponsible blunder. This was not only an invasion of privacy. It also informed the criminals in town of the location of every gun in town. The identities of registered gun owners should be confidential and available only to the proper authorities or by permission of the gun owner.

ARLIE KELLOGG

Sandpoint