Letter to the Editor: Irresponsible
BY Dan Sherman, Tulsa
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
1/15/13 at 8:59 AM
This New Year's Eve I was saddened that "idiots with guns" were engaged in celebratory gunfire at the stroke of midnight. How sad that decent, law-abiding gun owners are often labeled "gun-toting maniacs," in part because of irresponsible idiots with guns.
The dangers of shooting into the air can be found at Wikipedia:
"... on New Year's Eve, the Centers for Disease Control says, between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, treated some 118 people for random falling bullet injuries; 38 of them died."
Idiots with guns shooting into the air also cause damage to houses, automobiles - anything exposed to the sky above.
A solution would be to have required firearm safety education for anyone who purchases a firearm. The Second Amendment remains intact and the NRA can provide the training for free.
While this will not solve the "madman with gun" problem, I believe it would go a long way toward saving many lives and injuries that result from stupidity.
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