Speak Up: Permit-to-purchase bill backed by Moms Demand Action

A group of Kent County members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America wrote an Opinion on Feb. 23 to show support for permit-to-purchase legislation.

• First, let’s look at who is doing these shootings and where the shootings are happening. Many guns are possessed by people who are not supposed to have the guns in the first place, whether that’s a prohibited possessor (felon) of the gun, or they are underage, illegally concealing the gun or just simply committing another crime, while in possession of a gun. People who are doing these crimes are generally not the law-abiding citizens, and many times, the people who are doing these crimes have a criminal history. If you want to make an impact on gun crimes, you need to flood the areas that are high in crime and enforce the existing laws that are on the books. Trying to make more laws when the existing laws aren’t really being enforced the way they should be doesn’t help anything. And here’s an idea: Stop making laws that restrict law-abiding citizens who did nothing wrong, with the hope of controlling the criminals’ bad behavior. And the very people who want to make these new laws are the very people who want to then be lenient to the very people committing the crimes. There’s a time and place for leniency, but if there’s a gun crime with criminal history, it’s not the time for leniency. Hold the people who did the crime accountable — not the law-abiding citizen. Thank you! — Mark A. Horton
• The problem is not the legal gun owners; the problem is that, when a criminal is caught with a gun, they just let them go on their own recognizance. If these criminals knew they were going to jail if caught, it may make a difference. Just like the 13- and 14-year-old kids who tried to steal a car — they released them to their parents. If they put them in a juvenile facility, that may scare them enough never to do it again. The criminals are not afraid of going to jail. This may help ease crime. Take the guns away from criminals! — Yvonne Hall
• Over the past several years, different levels of our government have tried to draw up a bill that would not violate our constitutional rights. As of now, there has been none allowed into law on the federal level and for good reason. The answer is, who knows? Surely, our politicians do not have an answer that fits everyone in our society today. I would bet that, with any law passed to firmly control the ownership and use of firearms, the first ones to violate the law would be the same ones who voted to limit the use and ownership of the same individuals who they are sworn to represent. With the people who have illegally crossed our borders as of late, will any bill, law, whatever you want to call it, matter to some of them? I doubt it. Come to think of it, Hunter Biden is a good example of how gun laws work! — Howard Shaw