black@nisysg.DEC (03/22/85)
Kudos to the town of Rockport in the Peoples' Republic of Massachusetts. One of the fine, outstanding townsfolk has brought a proposal before the Town Fathers to ban handguns in the town. He based his proposal on a very learned position paper issued by that bastion of freedom, Harvard University. Now, he does propose that legitimate sportsmen should not be forgotten. They should be allowed pistols only if they keep them locked up at the police station for "safe keeping." Rifles and shotguns, of course, would still be allowed. (A more complete description of the proposed law can be found in the Boston Globe, 22 March 1985.) Leave it to a bunch of ivory-tower intellectuals to come up with a scheme like this. They'd make a criminal out of a law-abiding citizen any way they can. It doesn't seem to matter that the police in the town can barely remember when the last time a pistol was used in a crime. Ban the suckers, dammit! We'll solve all our problems! Did you here what happened recently out in Skokie, Illinois? Now, Skokie thought it was doin' the world a favor by banning pistols. Not even the mayor's wife could get a permit for a handgun. So she asked one of the local police officers to go to a nearby town and purchase a pistol for her, using his permit. So they "got caught with their pants down." Us pro-gunners had a field day! Even the Feds got in the act, threatening to charge the police officer with being an unlicensed firearms dealer. The moral of the story is that where there's a will, there's a way. All the gun laws in the world aren't going to stop somebody who relly wants a pistol. There's a really good discussion of the pro's and con's of handguns in the current edition of "Guns and Ammo" magazine. (We have to publish the information someplace--the liberal press won't give us the light of day.) The article points out that most criminals who are inclined to use firearms would cut off a shotgun or a rifle if they couldn't get a pistol. So rather that solving a problem, banning handguns only escalates it. The other side of the coin is that if a homeowner can't have a pistol to protect his house and family, what is he going to use? You guessed it--"Ol' Hawg's Laig!" (That's Hick talk for " a 12-guage" of some sort.) So instead of the burglar having a neat .38 hole in his chest, his entrails are now splattered all over the kitchen. Worse, instead of the round going through the snake and stopping at the second layer of plaster, your neighbor two doors over finds a gaping crater in his wall. (Personnally, mine is loaded with 2 skeet loads, 2 double-ought buckshot, and three deer slugs. If the skeet doesn't stop 'em, the next few will.) Let me tell you about the state gun laws up here in the Granite State (a part of the REAL America). It is perfectly lawful for a resident to keep a loaded pistol in his home or place of business for self-protection. It is legal to carry a pistol unconcealed without a permit under certain circumstances. No permit is necessary to purchase any firearm or ammunition,pistols included. However, a valid New Hampshire drivers' license must be presented as identification. (The law requires that the dealer notify the chief of police of the purchaser's city or town that a pistol has been purchased.) Upon application, a permit to carry a pistol concealed absolutely must be issued within ten days, or a valid cause must be shown why a permit cannot be issued. Any person denied a permit may appeal to the state courts, and any official denying a permit without just cause may be prosecuted. And there's even Class III dealers who will sell a select-fire weapon on presentation of the proper paperwork. Most estimates are that around 50% of New Hampshire's households have at least one firearm in them. However, most police officers I have spoken with put the number at 75-80%. Tell me, is there anybody out there who can honestly say they are afraid to walk the streets in New Hampshire? Regarding accidents, I've had firearms in my house now for almost two years (ever since I moved out of Marxachusetts), and not once have any of them gone off by themselves. Never ever has any of them climbed into the ammunition box, loaded itself, squeezed its own trigger, and discharged itself. It takes a real, concerted effort to fire a weapon that has no round in the chamber. And it takes even more effort when the firing mechanisms are stored seperate from the receivers. (All except for my Persuader.) I have only come close once to an accident, because of the partial failure of a 50-cent spring, and normally a person using a commercially assembled firearm would not have encountered the problem that I did. (But that's another war story.) Enough of this jaw-flappin' for now. I could fill a VAX with the facts about firearms. But still there are those out there who like to sensationalize and appeal to emotions. Some other time, I'll have to tell you about the federal Militia laws. Hang in there. The cavalry's comin' Don Black Tri-City Area Public Relations Officer American Pistol & Rifle Association (Box USA, Benton TN) "Insurance by Smith & Wesson" -bumper sticker on a New Hampsha pick-up.