Letter: Consider these safety regulations too

Re: “Consider banning this danger to public safety,” Mailbag, Jan. 4. Letter writer Gene Aker compares pedestrian Glendale deaths in 2013 to the lack of a homicide by firearm to argue that guns are less dangerous than automobiles, but he fails to take into account suicides, which account for the majority of gun deaths. I don’t know the statistics for Glendale, but nationally the number of deaths involving automobiles and those involving firearms are almost equal. Aker asks why, if both are dangerous, does Glendale bans gun shows on city property, but not car shows?

I agree that both guns and motor vehicles should be treated the same. Motor vehicles require registration annually with immediate notification and re-registration when ownership changes. They are also subject to numerous safety and health regulations and must be retested for pollution regularly. To use a vehicle requires that a person be over 15 1/2 years of age and pass rigorous tests.

When gun owners accept similar regulations on firearms, then Glendale should indeed allow a gun show on city property.

Steve Mills
Glendale