Registering Guns

Re “Legislators Outline State Budget Goals,” Dec. 2: Notwithstanding the fact that I am neither a member of a militia nor the National Rifle Assn., I was bothered by something state Sen. John Burton (D-San Francisco) said. Burton noted that public opinion polls show Californians are overwhelmingly in favor of registering firearms, stating: “You register a car; why not register a gun?”

In California, as defined under the Vehicle Code, driving is a privilege, not a right, so we have to register our cars and in order to drive them, we must have a license. It appears that Burton has forgotten that the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees us the right to bear arms, making it a right and not a privilege.

The last time I was at the DMV, I was in line for over two hours with some very angry people. If registering guns is going to prove as efficient as the process at the DMV, imagine long lines of angry people with guns. Not a pretty picture.

JESUS ARREDONDO

Pasadena