As a retiree I value my family, my health, and my safety. With the new gun laws being contemplated, some of these proposals, if put into law, will force me to change my habits, add to my costs and add a new level of risk for me and my family. I am a gun owner because I enjoy shooting and a side benefit is to keep me and my family safe.
The media always reports the homicide rate as being amongst the worst in the world (which sadly it is), but rarely report that we enjoy a lower rate of crime in most other categories.
Our rates for forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft, burglary and others are well below the rates of other countries. A female is twice (or higher) as apt to get forcibly raped in countries with strict gun laws as in the USA.
Now, why do I find one of the current proposals ridiculous. Most of the magazines I own carry 12 to 14 rounds. The reasons is simple, save time and money. When I go shooting, I preload (at home) my magazines and only buy 30 minutes of range time. I can shoot all of my magazines without reloading (or worst case, reloading once). That means I can concentrate on my shooting and this represents a saving of at least $15 to $20 for each practice session. As a retiree, every dollar counts.
Politicians are riding a curve of emotion, not thinking about the more practical effects of restricting smaller magazines, or the type of gun one owns, or preventing one to pass down a firearm to a family member without a background check. The media, who fully support the politicians, misleads by not publishing all the facts. All of these will raise the cost of gun ownership, limit their peaceful use and contribute to higher crime in a multiple of categories.
So, enforce current laws, increase spending (care) on mental health, but leave me alone, as I am not the problem. I am part of the solution as by keeping my shooting skills up, I can protect myself and my family.
Donald Kennedy
Wallingford