LETTERS

Sanctuary Resolution is not the answer to the gun divide

Posted 7/17/19

To the Editor: Gun violence as a public health crisis is complex; there is no simple solution that will eradicate gun violence. However, there is evidence that states that have stronger gun laws and fewer guns have fewer gun deaths. I do not believe it's

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
LETTERS

Sanctuary Resolution is not the answer to the gun divide

Posted

To the Editor:

Gun violence as a public health crisis is complex; there is no simple solution that will eradicate gun violence.

However, there is evidence that states that have stronger gun laws and fewer guns have fewer gun deaths. I do not believe it’s a coincidence the RI has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and we were ranked 49th for gun related deaths in USA Today in 2018. The state laws that are passed have gone through proper legislative channels, often over the course of years and with much vetting and revision to ensure that they are constitutionally sound.

The Sanctuary Resolution being proposed in West Warwick serves no real purpose. Municipalities do not have authority to regulate firearms in Rhode Island due to preemption laws [Rhode Island General Laws section 11-47-58]. Also, law enforcement does not get to pick and choose what laws to enforce. They must enforce laws that have been enacted. I am curious as to whether the Town Council has asked Chief Knott and members of the West Warwick Police force to weigh in on this issue. Are members of our police department willing to abandon their oath to uphold the law in favor of this resolution? A resolution that is being proposed to towns across the state by We the People of RI for Second Amendment Sanctuary, a group that appears to be targeting towns based on their perceived susceptibility to pass the resolution.

I’m not in opposition to the Second Amendment, but I am strongly opposed to gun violence. I believe in enacting common sense gun laws. There are many avid hunters in my family. Both of my sons have participated in Scouting and been trained in rifle shooting. I’m not suggesting we ban all guns. However, I want us to approach the reality that the United States is one of the top six countries for gun violence with reason and an open mind. Solving this problem is not going to be easy, and it’s going to mean finding common ground. We cannot, in good conscience, stand by a Second Amendment that was written for muskets and pistols and continue to give our thoughts and prayers to the victims of AR-15’s.

Erica Lebrun

West Warwick

Comments

9 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • KimLorene

    Actually....it has been proven that states and cities with stricter gun laws/restrictions have more gun violence.

    Wednesday, July 17, 2019 Report this

  • ramrodd

    It's a Trap!

    2nd Amendment Sanctuaries Threaten Gun Rights

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOhdcNR1bK8

    Thursday, July 18, 2019 Report this

  • ramrodd

    There is no such thing as "gun violence". This is a focus-group-driven buzzword and talking point to create an imaginary bogeyman as the main anti 2nd Amendment propaganda tool. There are PEOPLE who commit violence with guns, but there are many more people who commit violence without them.

    And, since the term "gun violence" is a catchword/cliche, the title suggests an unattainable goal. People have been robbing and killing other people, using the weapons of the day, since the beginning of man on this planet, which identifies the real issue - controlling criminal impulses in humans, not the otherwise legal instruments they use to commit crimes.

    Anyone who doesn't realize and/or acknowledge this isn't thinking, s/he is 'feeling', and our liberty cannot depend upon what anybody 'feels'.

    Thursday, July 18, 2019 Report this

  • RandL1

    Rhode Island is one of the outliers in data analysis concerning criminal use of firearms. Taking a single state and determining laws on the rest of America is a really bad idea. The only state with a low rate is Hawaii. While Hawaii has very strict firearms laws, again, the location has more to do with whether people are unhappy and want to kill others than credit should be given to the laws. NOTE: even Hawaii has a very low clearance rate on murders so laws and police are not the issue.

    Thursday, July 18, 2019 Report this

  • BHirsh

    Yes, sanctuary resolutions are the answer to the "gun divide". They send a message with a strong voice that the people en masse will not accept infringements on their fundamental right to arms.

    And more and more of them should be passed to drive the message home to these intransigent statists.

    What else would you suggest - an armed uprising?

    Thursday, July 18, 2019 Report this

  • TheSkipper

    ANY laws that cause me to become a criminal by merely owning a certain type of gun that was previously legal to own, especially if said gun is only declared by local politicians who have not put said offending gun to strict analysis as to its form and function? Is against the Second Amendment of the Constitution and is already illegal. Any Law enacted by the council in West Warwick or other town in RI defying that law is correct because it affirms the legality of the 2nd Amendment OVER the state's presumption that it has a right to pass a law that violates FEDERAL LAW that when brought to trial will cause irreparable damage financially and legally. will be defeated in federal court and jurisdiction once adjudicated. Furthermore, It is too late. There are more guns in the United States then there are people. Do you think the gangs, Organized crime, radicals like Antifa or other serious criminals are going to care what the LAW says? So who will be affected? The common citizen who was just wanting to take his gun to the shooting range, or out hunting, or to defend his home and life from the other groups listed above. In London they're thinking about banning knives now. They've already banned guns, so now they're killing each other with knives. Then they will pass the knife ban and people will start killing each other with clubs and slings and crossbows and bow and arrows, shovels and hoes. The problem is not guns. The problem is the person with the need to pull the trigger. As it's been said Millions of times guns art killing people, people are killing people.

    Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this

  • Wuggly

    First muskets and pistols were the military firearms of the day. The 2A isn't about hunting it's about defense against a tyrannical government.

    This is not a firearms problem it's a people problem. People commit crimes. London banned firearms and now they outpace NY City in murder. Londoner's just use knives.

    Stronger laws? You want to explain the murder rate in Chicago with anti-firearms laws compared with say Vermont with open carry? You may want to read More Guns, Less Crime by John Lott. He should have titled it More Guns Less Violent Crime. He states non confrontational go up while crime against people goes down.

    No bad guns Bad people. To paraphrase George Carlin. I've had firearms since I was in elementary, I've never seen one running around pulling its own trigger.

    Blame firearms for murder, spoons for obesity, cars for vehicle accidents and drunk driving, and pens for spelling mistakes. No one is responsible for their actions anymore.

    Monday, July 22, 2019 Report this

  • Wuggly

    Almost forgot that silly Constitution thing about "The Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms will not be Infringed." Article I, Section 22 RI Constitution.

    Monday, July 22, 2019 Report this

  • Warwick_Resident1998

    Erica.....The 2nd amendment has absolutely nothing to do with hunting. You have no idea what you are talking ablut and should probably take a civics class.

    Tuesday, July 23, 2019 Report this