REGISTRATION PROTECTS GUN OWNERS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, January 25, 1993                   TAG: 9301250275
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
REGISTRATION PROTECTS GUN OWNERS
WHY HAS the debate on responsible gun ownership ended? Are we really left with only the decision to support the "one gun a month" proposal or not? Perhaps a more appealing legislative act lies somewhere in between.
I have been a member of the National Rifle Association and an owner of several guns for many years. One of the benefits I enjoy as an NRA member is the free insurance on my firearms. One of the things I don't understand is the association's stance on registration. All of my firearms (with the exception of a recent purchase from an individual) are registered. Any firearm purchased from a licensed dealer is automatically registered via the federal firearms form. I assume that this form was the vehicle used to trace the guns used in a felony to a Petersburg store, as reported in your recent series on guns.
My guns are not registered for the protection of society; they are registered for my protection. If they are ever stolen and subsequently recovered, they will be returned to their rightful owner - me.
I would welcome a government service that allowed me protection when I sell a gun. It would be nice to stop by the local post office and pick up a form to register the sale of a gun. That way, if a firearm I sold was ever used in a felony, I would know that I was protected if I had been reasonable and prudent in identifying and registering the person to whom I had sold it. Registration does not infringe upon my rights. It extends my rights to protect my property through the use of a simple government service. ANDY ROBERTS ROANOKE

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB