I never cease to be amazed by the gun lobby. They want restrictions on marijuana, prescription drugs, straight sex, gay sex, alcohol, pornography and speed limits but they don’t want to discourage the sale of any firearm to anyone.
The National Rifle Association crowd leaves their old city slicker ZIP code behind due to the ever increasing criminal element and moves to mountain enclaves like this one but want gun laws left unchanged.
Gun worshippers oppose reining in gun shows in Nevada and Arizona where California criminals stock up on arms and ammo. Then they claim California’s stricter gun control laws don’t work.
Gun lovers buy guns to fight off government tyranny someday, but want the government to go after mentally ill people who own guns even though both the Aurora, Col., and Virginia Tech shooters passed two background checks.
I grew up reloading ammo with my dad in the 1970s. We used our RCBS reloading press in 90 percent white Idaho.
I went to a gun safety class at the local VFW hall in order to hunt legally in Washington when I was 13. We walked to our neighbor’s meadow and shot gallon milk jugs filled with water from 150 or 200 yards.
That was 40 years ago, and the world has changed since then.
Low scores mean less educational opportunity, which means more perpetuated poverty, which always means more crime for that community.
Four out of five high school dropouts end up in prison or on government assistance. Or didn’t you know that SoCal’s Palos Verdes Estates and Wilmington are just a few miles apart?
Children grow up. Even angry entitled unmentored ones. Arming the idle with assault weapons from Nevada and Arizona gun shows is absurd.
Earth to Idyllwild. High capacity assault weapons are fired right here on public land. The brass scavengers love them.
Ending only-cash-needed gun shows nationwide where five people were accidently shot last weekend is a start.
We need mentor-led gun safety classes like the one I took. We need to ban resale of high capacity assault weapons and magazines until spontaneous human violence can be eradicated.
Oh, I know. Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.
But people also distribute child pornography, illegal drugs, and break speed limits. Shall we disregard or disgard those laws too?
Criminals will always get guns. Sex offenders will always get kiddie porn. Drug dealers will always deal drugs and reckless drivers will always speed. It’s what enables them.
But inanimate objects don’t need laws to behave. People do. Don’t you love NRA logic?
Mike Reno
Pine Cove
