Re: FAQ Additions

Harvey Newstrom (newstrom@newstaffinc.com)
Thu, 25 Feb 1999 16:14:48 -0500

> From: newstrom@newstaffinc.com (Harvey Newstrom)
>
> >Thanks for agreeing with me on the other points, but I have to
> >take issue with this.
>
> >I live in the Orlando, Florida area. We have two or three
> >toddlers kill other toddlers with guns every year. It is a sad,
> >yet constantly repeating event in our community. For some reason,
> >we can't get parents to lock up their guns, and the same tragedy
> >keeps repeating. We have specialized laws and education programs,
> >but nothing stops this trend. The point is, our local area has
> >more accidental child fatalities due to guns than you claim for
> >the entire U.S. Your statistics just don't match reality.
>
> I live 20 feet outside the city limit, but work in the heart of
> downtown Chicago. We have incidents with children being shot and
> killed all the time. Yet in a city that has banned handguns for 18
> years, I have never once seen the adult responsible for that
> illegal weapon go to jail.
>
>
> THAT IS THE PROBLEM!

Agreed. We have similar laws, but every time a child shoots another with a gun, the law is ignored. Basically, the police and city officials say that they think the families have suffered enough due to the tragedy, and that nothing would be gained by putting them in jail. This always turns into a controversy, and we see it over and over.

I take it by your comments that you also dispute the claim that only 31 children have been accidentally killed by guns in the U.S. in the last 35 years.

-- 
Harvey Newstrom <http://newstaffinc.com>
Author, Consultant, Engineer, Hacker, Researcher, Scientist.