Gun Control and ’22 Cowardly Acts’
Gee! I don’t understand how the members of the 5th Street Santa Ana-based gang were able to obtain the fully automatic rifle used in the wanton murder of a Garden Grove gang member and his 4-year-old nephew (Part I, Sept. 18).
It has been virtually impossible to legally obtain a fully automatic rifle since the National Firearms Act was passed in 1938. Only those who qualify after an extensive federal background check and pay a hefty federal transfer tax are allowed to own such weapons under the law. And in California the law prevents even those who qualify by federal standards from purchasing such a weapon.
Hey! Do you think maybe these murderers bought their assault weapon illegally on the black market? Does this perhaps shed some light on the efficacy of laws restricting firearms ownership?
Nawww! After all, Lloyd Connelly, Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio), and The Times have told us that if we just outlaw weapons the killing and maiming will stop. So why should we pay any attention to the fact these murders were committed with a weapon that has been outlawed?
LEE W. SMITH
West Los Angeles
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