Editor,
In reference to the letter from Dave Marsh (Oct. 17) titled “The second amendment,” I feel I need to comment on a few things he says. When he states his concern with military weapons in civilian hands, he is making a statement that if it were implemented we would find that bolt-action, semi-auto and the single-shot muzzleloader, among other firearms, would fall under “military firearms” and thus be confiscated as well as the AR platform of firearms as they, too, were “military weapons” at one time. The problem does not lie with the type or availability of the gun or accessories; it lies with the morals of our society. You cannot legislate morality and be effective.
The laws now on the books will cover every “need“ for additional laws that are demanded after every mass shooting, if they are applied. Take Chicago as an example. It hase some of the toughest anti-gun laws in the nation yet is among the highest in the nation in gun violence. Check out the charges that are either plea bargained away or never used in the prosecution of violators. Chicago should be a shining example of the need for enforcement of existing laws rather than putting new laws on the books.
As an example of my comment on the morals being the issue, you may take my firearms, and I am willing to bet (if you put) Dave Marsh’s firearms on a table and wait for one of them to shoot someone, you will have a long wait. I can also say with confidence that neither Dave nor I have ever shot another person. Again, the problem is not with firearms but with the morals we now accept in this nation. As a middle school student, I could bring my .22 rifle to school so I could hunt small game on the way home. Try that today. New laws will only make criminals out of law-abiding citizens that own firearms. As for the bump stock that turned the guns used in Las Vegas into a full auto, (they) should be looked at by the BATFE as a modification that requires the same limits that are currently on the books regarding full auto firearms.
Cody Long, Noblesville