Dear Editor:
I am a gun owner, and I support comprehensive background checks for gun purchases. Preserving the right to responsible gun ownership is important to me. I’ve owned guns for most of my life. But, along with our Second Amendment right to bear arms comes certain responsibilities, such as using our guns safely and making sure they don’t fall into the wrong hands.
Background checks do just that by preventing criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from getting guns. These checks respect my rights and protect my family. Current federal law already requires anyone buying a gun from a licensed dealer to pass a background check. But, criminals can avoid that requirement by purchasing firearms in private sales, including at gun shows or online. The result: 6.6 million guns sold last year were sold without a background check.
We know these checks work. In states that have passed their own laws requiring background checks for private handgun sales, gun violence and gun trafficking is lower than in states that haven’t. As for the issue of the potential for a gun registry, federal law already prohibits the creation of a national firearms registry, and bipartisan legislative proposals in the Senate and House would strengthen the Second Amendment by re-affirming this ban.
If you believe in the Second Amendment, I urge you to stand with me and other responsible gun owners by speaking out in favor of commonsense measures like background checks. We have a special role, because we understand the responsibility that comes with gun ownership, and we can see through the fear-mongering that suggests these checks will take away our guns. It’s nonsense. Background checks will help save lives, keep our families safe, and protect our rights. HR 1565 deserves a vote in the House of Representatives.
C.L.Townsend
Plant City