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Gun control and effective policing

First, as a retired federal agent, I laughed when I read your front-page article on Dec. 27, “Lawmaker wants Pennsylvania to crack down on ‘ghost guns.” I wonder why legislators think they can stop crime by enacting more gun control laws that only affect honest gun owners? I read the entire article and needed to tell citizens many facts about criminals. In my 26 years carrying a federal badge, I arrested about 100 criminals. Most were armed and NONE possessed a gun carry permit. Since most were criminals in the gun control “Mecca” of Massachusetts, they did not qualify.

Now we see the new “gun problem” is ghost guns. The legislator wants to “crack down on untraceable guns, our laws must apply to 3D-printed firearms,” said state Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D-Chester. I would ask Melissa “How do we crack down on criminal guns today?”

The problem is criminals and not guns. No gun control law applies to people like I put in handcuffs. They use stolen guns and if they drop it at a crime scene, it traces back to the last legal owner and not to the criminal using it illegally. No law prevents anything! How many criminals go to their local police station and register their guns like honest citizens must? Go figure what is the real reason for MORE Gun Control?

Second, I am disturbed by the recent New Orleans massacre. I watched the limited information reported at a news conference conducted by an elderly woman, apparently the Police Chief of New Orleans. No one asked the right question that could have prevented this tragedy. The elderly woman advised the bollards (metal posts  restricting vehicle traffic) were removed last week for maintenance. She did not say why they could have remained in place until the following week after New Years. She said, “We had a police cruiser parked sideways to restrict street traffic onto Bourbon Street.” She further stated, “The alleged violator drove his truck past the rear of the police car onto the sidewalk to get onto the street.” OK, so WHERE was the police officer manning the blocking cruiser? Does traffic routinely use sidewalks to get onto the street? Where was the cop blocking vehicle access? Will she fix Responsibility for this lack of Security? She said there were 300 police in the area at that time. I would ask which one was doing his/her duty?

RON BENJAMIN

Mansfield

Submitted by email

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