SCOPE Reply to Opinion Piece and Biden by Tom Reynolds
Last week’s Finger Lakes Times contained an opinion piece by a representative of the League of Women Voters. It listed their priorities and one of them was “Comprehensive Gun Reform”.
On Valentine’s Day, President Biden sent a love letter to gun grabbers that repeated the usual radical plans to destroy the 2nd Amendment.
SCOPE responded to the opinion piece, in 500 words below, and it would also apply to Biden’s latest misadventure.
Speaking for the League of Women Voters, Christine Hoffman stated that a League priority was to “End gun violence in America”. SCOPE is a 2nd Amendment defense organization and would agree with the goal but not with the method she suggests. Most existing and proposed gun control laws affect only law-abiding citizens, who are not the ones committing gun violence. Until someone figures out how to get criminals to obey the law, their suggestion is equivalent to selling your car to stop your neighbor’s drunk driving.
Ms. Hoffman stated, “the nation needs and demands comprehensive gun reform”. What nation? She can’t be referring to the America that, in 2020, purchased record numbers of guns or for the record number of women who bought guns. They are hardly “demanding” more gun control.
Movies may romanticize 110 pound actresses beating up linebacker-size guys, but that is fantasy. Women are at a significant physical strength disadvantage in assaults and carrying a firearm reduces or eliminates that disadvantage.
Laws are meant to be enforced. Yet, enacted laws against rioting, looting and arson in cities such as Seattle, Portland and San Francisco -and others - were not enforced. This led to more riots, arson and killing. The same applies to guns. There are already enough laws against the criminal use of guns; the problem is lack of enforcement. We don’t need more laws that only impact law abiding citizens.
In addition to allowing rioting to continue, NY State began releasing criminals without bail in 2020. Assemblyman William Barclay recently posted some statistics for that year: Buffalo homicides up 36%; NY City homicides up 45%; Rochester homicides up 59%; Syracuse homicides up 55%. Is it sensible to make it more difficult for people to defend themselves in a time of rising violent crime?
Ms. Hoffman repeats a common refrain about banning “Assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines. There was a nationwide ban from 1994 to 2004; it was not renewed as it was ineffective. The FBI’s statistics on murders in 2019 further prove this point: In NY State there was only 3 murders by rifles but 119 by knives and other cutting instruments and 44 by hands and fists. Attacking “Assault weapons” may be good propaganda but they are not the problem.
If all legal gun sales in the USA were stopped, would that end gun violence? President Biden has opened our borders. If sales were stopped in the U.S., might Mexican drug cartels take advantage of open borders to expand their smuggling operations to meet criminals’ demand for guns? Is this addressed under the LWV’s fifth priority, “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”?
Defensive gun uses far outnumber criminal gun use. Examples of successful defensive gun use are easy to research on-line.
When police are ten minutes away, a gun provides protection at 1500 feet per second. A gun’s presence, alone, may deter criminals.
Ms. Hoffman she describes her recommendations as “common sense”. As my dad would say, “sayin’ it don’t make it so”.
