Letters to the Editor: Gun foe's argument is expensive - and silly

On August 6, the Clevaland Plain Dealer published a letter to the editor calling for stricter gun control laws and opposing gun manufacturer immunity bills. Because we are a one-issue group, we chose not to publish the letter.

But leave it to the good citizens of Ohio to show us why we SHOULD have. Two letter writers have proven this issue most definitely pertains to the concealed carry reform debate.

Click here to read the letters in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, or click on the "Read More..." link below for an archived version.

08/11/03

In response to Karen Tucker and her Aug. 6 letter to the editor:

No, the gun industry is not responsible for "guns used in the commission of crimes," and more anti-business regulations will just add to the trillion-dollar regulatory bureaucracy that plagues the American taxpayer.

Tucker's thinking would lead us to give the gun industry (including dealers) its comeuppance just as we did with the tobacco industry: The lawyers got fat, and the states got some of their greed satisfied. Ohio gave the first of its settlement as a subsidy to its tobacco farmers. Cigarettes tripled in price, and the smokers kept on smoking.

A better solution to the problem of guns used in the commission of crime:

Put more criminals behind bars and keep them there.

Pass concealed-carry in Ohio. Violent crime goes down, as shown in all states that allow concealed-carry.

Joseph F. Kerner
Columbus

08/16/03

Enough of the silly comparison of the regulations on teddy bears and guns repeated in an Aug. 6 letter to the editor. Do you need a license issued by the federal government to make a teddy bear? Does a teddy bear manufacturer have to assign a unique serial number to each bear and account for each bear at every step of manufacture, storage, shipping and sale?

Does every toy store have to get a license from the federal government to sell teddy bears? Do they have to keep accurate records of every single teddy bear sold, under penalty of a felony conviction?

Are bear sales limited by the age and background of the purchaser? Does each purchase of a teddy bear have to be approved by the FBI? Is it a felony if someone steals a teddy bear?

Teddy bears are made for toddlers who put most everything in their mouths and don't know that biting the eye off one could be a bad thing. Regulating their design for safety may make some sense. Guns are made for grown- ups who understand the consequences of pointing a gun and pulling the trigger.

Leonard Blake
Highland Heights