Letter: All laws would work well if people obeyed them

Posted 3/16/18

To the editor:

In response to Robert Stewart’s 3/14 letter  — I have to respond after reading his flawed letter to the editor regarding common sense gun laws.  

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Letter: All laws would work well if people obeyed them

Posted

To the editor:

In response to Robert Stewart’s 3/14 letter — I have to respond after reading his flawed letter to the editor regarding common sense gun laws.  

Perhaps we could use some common sense free speech laws. That pesky first amendment protects it though. 

Oh, where to start. How about your stating firearms being a health hazard. Every doctor I have visited has asked me if I smoked or drank alcohol. I didn’t recoil a bit at those questions like you did regarding firearms. I see that cigarettes, tobacco and junk food are still legal. 

Also our governor wants to make recreational marijuana legal and heavily taxed along with sports betting. All great for a healthy happy family life. I think these are real health hazards but there is no talk about regulating them. They are not even mentioned in the Constitution so what would be the problem banning them for the public good?  

Moving along, as you state the military is quite ridged about personal firearms and it worked well until Major Hasan decided to violated the law at Fort Hood in 2009 — 13 dead and 30 wounded on a military base and it took the local police to stop it.  

All laws would work well if people obeyed them. I am sure Major Hasan was not worried about a firearms charge being tacked on to a mass murder charge. Real determent.  

You state the Constitution reads “a well-regulated militia” but the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled many times that it is also an individual right. AR15s have been available since the early 60s and there were millions of them in private hands before and during the assault weapon ban enacted in 1994. Also there was not a ban on certain magazines for certain weapons, there was a ban on all magazines that could hold more than ten rounds, both rifle and handgun. The reason the assault weapons ban sun set in 2004 were studies showed that it made no difference in firearms violence. As you should know it was just a cosmetic ban anyway. But let’s not let the facts get in the way.  

I don’t believe anyone in R.I. has ever been murdered by a AR15. Please feel free to correct me if I am mistaken. 

Also, I am sure the attorney general would appreciate it if you informed him of anyone selling any firearms in R.I. without conducting a thorough background check and a seven-day waiting period. Where did you ever get the idea anyone could walk into a establishment and walk out with a firearm? 

May I suggest that you discuss the Bill of Rights and Constitution in you next history lesson. It’s hard to believe anyone would disagree with the founding fathers and their wisdom. 

Michael J. Panasuik

Barrington

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.