Legislation before both the state House and state Senate would set a 72-hour waiting period before law-abiding Pennsylvanians could complete a purchase of a firearm.

Similar bills have been considered — and failed to secure passage — before. We are skeptical this measure warrants the time and effort for debate and voting.

Supporters have given no indication that the additional time is necessary or valuable in conducting background checks. Assurances that a waiting period is constitutional hinge on how reasonable the length of the mandated wait is — and considering the aversion to underlying principles of individual rights demonstrated by critics of the Second Amendment our editorial board has detailed in the past, we unfortunately must be wary that a reasonable and constitutional waiting period will grow longer, perhaps even less definite, until it is nothing more than a tool to deprive Americans in Pennsylvania of their God-given right to own firearms.

We doubt that a 72-hour waiting period — or any longer waiting period — would reduce violence. A significant percentage of guns used in crimes already are illegally acquired — and a significant percentage of crimes are committed by recidivists — men and women who have committed crimes in the past and are ensconced in a world where avenues for illegally buying firearms are unfortunately readily accessible.

Measures that turn society’s focus from the criminals to the implements of crime are frankly wrong-headed.

We hope our legislators can turn their attention instead to measures that we believe would be more successful in reducing crime — ensuring probation and parole officers have the funding and tools available to arrest repeat offenders and that police and prosecutors have the resources to arrest and convict all offenders.