THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 16, 1996 TAG: 9607160007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Another View
SOURCE: By KAYE K. TICE
LENGTH: 60 lines
In ``The people permit gun-using criminals to thrive'' (Another view, May 11), Robert G. Marcus, president of the Virginia Firearms Dealers Association, expounded on many aspects concerning gun violence which deserve further exploration.
Even those of us who advocate some moderate degree of gun control consider it an imperfect solution. While keeping in mind that statistically guns are the most popular tool for imposing violence on another human being, we believe the focus should be directed more toward the related violence rather than guns themselves.
We agree with Mr. Marcus that the most-important issues to be addressed are those involving personal behavior and responsibility. We also agree that accountability and punishment for those who engage in gun-related violence should be sure, swift and severe.
It is disingenuous, however, to imply that guns themselves play little or no role in motivating people to engage in the degree of violence permeating our society. There is no substitute for a gun as a tool for engaging in violent behavior, whether it is random, premeditated or driven by passion. No unregulated device or material even comes close to the destructive capability of a gun.
Most of the blame is placed on our admittedly imperfect criminal-justice system. However, it is worth noting that one out of 250 people in America is incarcerated, with more joining these ranks every day. As we continue to accelerate efforts to jail and execute criminals, the rate of violent crime remains stable. This indicates that for every criminal you take off the streets, someone else is waiting and willing to take his place. It certainly does not indicate that stiffer sentences, accelerated executions or higher likelihood of incarceration serve as any deterrent whatsoever.
The direct annual cost to taxpayers for managing the effects of violent crime, including medical and emergency care, is about $4 billion. This does not include indirect costs such as lost productivity, pain and suffering. Next, it costs taxpayers anywhere from $15,000 to $60,000 a year to house each of these 1.1 million prisoners, totaling several billion dollars annually. Finally, in order to incarcerate all of the incoming prisoners, we are having to divert billions of dollars of tax money to construct new prisons at a cost of $50,000 to $80,000 dollars per cell.
We regard it as responsible for our government to take prudent action to keep guns out of the hands of those who would commit violent acts. We consider it reasonable to ask those who wish to own guns to accept a relatively minor degree of inconvenience on their purchase in order to accomplish this goal. We consider it logical to eliminate those weapons designed and desired solely for their ability to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
Finally, we will continue to wonder why, given the choice of becoming a more civilized society, we choose to live in a culture where everyone is armed, where personal safety is assured through fear and intimidation instead of reason, and where differences are settled with violence.
The members of Virginians Against Handgun Violence are committed to engaging in positive action to eliminate the causes and effects of gun-related violence in our society. We hope that all people and organizations who share this basic goal will join us in identifying and implementing solutions.
KEYWORDS: OPINION by CNB