Jeff Hague of Ellendale is the president and legislative liaison of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association.
This letter is in response to Mr. Jeffrey Haycraft’s submission, “In gun debate, false choices don’t save lives.”
It seems that he is as guilty of using half-truths and the same tired talking points as he accuses me of. He mentions that 80% of gun owners agree with universal background checks. That figure is from an extremely biased poll done by Everytown for Gun Safety, a Bloomberg-funded antifirearm group, a survey that was debunked years ago. Polls are manipulated by forming the question so as the pollster gets the intended result.
My point about firearms being the most heavily regulated consumer product in the nation — with over 27,000 laws, rules and regulations — is that no more laws are needed. There is no “private sale” loophole here in Delaware. That was addressed back in 2013. All sales of firearms are required to have background checks, with the exception of those with a concealed carry permit and between certain relatives. I ask, what more do you want?
Concerning how criminals get guns from private sales: Mr. Haycraft stated that I only cited one study. That’s all he mentioned. He states that we need to strengthen “background checks, reporting requirements and safe storage laws.” Delaware has already done that, and more. It doesn’t work. As I have said repeatedly, criminals, by definition, do not obey the law. That is why they are called “criminals.” Mr. Haycraft, how do you propose we accomplish what you are suggesting?
Every law that is passed in the name of “gun safety” does nothing but impact law-abiding citizens and further the efforts to reach the goal of total prohibition of firearms. I maintain that, with every gun control law that is passed, those legislators have to admit that everything they have done in the past does not work. Otherwise, they would not have to pass more laws.
As for so-called “assault-style” firearms: Mr. Haycraft’s statement is absolutely false. As I have mentioned many times before, long guns are not used in a vast majority of shootings. So-called “assault-style” firearms are no more lethal than handguns are. The Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association has filed exhibits from leading experts in our lawsuits that disprove the lethality argument. I would be glad to provide them. By far, handguns are the firearm of choice for criminals. And, primarily, handguns are wielded by juveniles who are not permitted by law to possess them. And, primarily, that is in urban areas, where the leading causes of shootings in general are gangs and drugs. Mr. Haycraft ignored the statistics that I stated from the Delaware Statistical Analysis Center that show that both victims and suspects are bad guys.
As to age restrictions: I never insisted that access should be expanded. I simply stated that the law restricting access to long guns by those ages 18-21 was recently found unconstitutional. The illegal use of handguns is not only for ages 18-20; it is for 14-25. The law exempted shotguns and muzzleloaders. My statements do not defy the data. Let’s be honest, Mr. Haycraft.
As for “gun violence”: The gun is not the cause of violence. The proper term is “human violence.” Folks like Mr. Haycraft fall for the rhetoric of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown when using this term. The solution is to address the causes of violent behavior. To further the cause of gun control, those who look to disarm law-abiding citizens attempt to vilify the object — in this case, a firearm — by trying to attach human traits to it for the purpose of animating them. This is a way of trying to gain emotional leverage by peddling the idea that a firearm has behavioral tendencies. The reason that terms such as “gun violence” and “assault weapon” were created was to evoke emotion from people and get them to attribute that emotion to the imagined behavioral tendency of firearms. That makes no sense, but evoking the emotional aspect is extremely motivating to those who are easily misled.
As I have stated many times, it is not the object; it is the person behind the object.
One important point that Mr. Haycraft leaves out of his use of international statistics is that the United States has a Bill of Rights that has an amendment that prohibits the government from infringing on the right to keep and bear arms, otherwise known as the Second Amendment. No other country has that protection. That is something that sets us apart from the rest of the world. I pointed out differences in our country and others that have laws regulating firearm possession that are more strict than the United States’ laws are.
Mr. Haycraft accuses me of attacking him. I am only disagreeing with what he calls “facts.” Delaware had a recidivism rate (measuring rearrests within three years of release) of 77% in 2020.
Mr. Haycraft, we can “lock up” our way out of this problem. As I previously stated, and as I just pointed out, criminals are not being held accountable for their actions. I have not heard of a case in which someone in jail has committed a crime on the street.
The last several years have seen the Delaware General Assembly and the attorney general make a concerted effort to reduce the prison population, release violent offenders on no bail, dismiss most firearm charges and sentence violent criminals to probation.
Until that mindset changes, violent crime will continue to be a problem here in Delaware.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
