As a retired federal agent, I want to thank you for your very logical editorial on the opinion page of the March 26, 2026 Williamsport Sun-Gazette, ” Neighboring state’s gun control push too rushed for comfort.” You clearly set forth how the Democrats have taken over the Virginia state government and pushed through about 20 gun control bills that strip Virginia residents of their Second Amendment gun rights without affecting criminals in any way! The same gun control laws were in effect for all 26 years I carried a federal badge in Massachusetts.

Gun control is not crime control. Gun control laws only harass honest gun owners who comply with all the laws while criminals ignore those laws. I made about 100 arrests during my career in Massachusetts and their gun control laws did not in any way make my job easier. In MA, an honest citizen had to secure a Firearms Identity Card from their police chief to possess a gun in their home. Otherwise, they were in illegal possession of a duck gun or deer rifle and subject to a year in jail for each gun in their home. NO criminal could qualify for an FID, but all honest gun owners were required to comply. Why? For what good purpose did an FID serve? The Virginia laws are like the MA laws, serving only to further restrict honest gun owners! Thank you for your honest report.

RON BENJAMIN

Mansfield

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