Lies and Half-Truths About Guns and Crime

* In the Valley Perspective editorial “How Many Guns Are Enough?” (June 19) you offered anecdotal evidence, citing incidences involving Valley residents, that because there are 210 million guns in circulation, many of these guns are used to take innocent lives.

Here you are only telling one part of the whole story. The editorial failed to mention that of the 210 million guns in the hands of millions of Americans, less than 1% are ever used in crime. Two hundred and ten million guns does not equal 210 million deaths.

Continuing to perpetrate “lies by omission,” your editorial says nothing of the 800,000 to 2 million cases of citizens using guns to defend their lives annually. In most cases, potential crime is thwarted with no shots being fired.

There were also half-truths, such as the statement that 50% of Americans want gun control. Yes, some people want some form of gun control, but when asked if they favor a total ban on guns, the answer is a resounding no.

And that leads to the Big Lie--”reasonable” gun control. There is no reasonable gun control. Gun control is really just gun prohibition, only in increments.

Gun control and crime control are mutually exclusive. The last thing this nation needs is more of the failed policy of gun laws. What we need most of all is a criminal justice system that is no longer dysfunctional.

RON YORKE

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