Letter to the Editor: Individual gun control
BY Harold and Mary Battenfield, Tulsa
Friday, February 08, 2013
2/08/13 at 7:41 AM
What can we do? We are only two people.
Decades ago I purchased a .32 caliber handgun and about the same time I received an old .38 caliber as a gift. Like other civic-minded citizens, I kept them in my closet and unloaded.
As parents we watched the news and learned that regardless of instructions, children play with hidden guns and burglars break in. I moved them to our attic where they have been for more than 30 years.
We are in retirement and must think of where the two guns will end up. If they are sold or given away, they will end up in someone's closet, subject to being discovered by children, a drunk or a burglar.
A call to the police informed me that they would destroy the guns at my request. When I arrived at the police station the officers were most courteous and confirmed that the guns would be destroyed and issued me a receipt along with their serial numbers. One officer related that the old pistol had value and might be the kind to be in a gun collection; however, he understood they were not for sale.
We are comfortable to know that the two guns will not be used to kill, cripple or send someone to prison for years at the taxpayers' expense.
Editor's note: Harold Battenfield is a retired orthopedic surgeon and says he has "cared for hundreds of gun injuries over the years."
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