Marching For Gun Safety

To the Editor,

I would like to briefly respond to the letters printed lasted week titled “Misinformed Moms” and “Armed and Informed Moms.”

I am planning on marching in Washington for Gun Safety on Mother’s Day, May 14, 2000. The Million Mom March is about just that, gun safety, not gun control. It is about requiring national licensing of gun owners and registration of guns. The fact is 12 youths are killed by guns every day. Ms Buzzi attempts to trivialize this point by arguing that this figure includes “20 year-old drug dealers that are shot by gang members.” That somehow the inclusion of this issue invalidates the fact that 12 youths are killed every day by gun violence. I personally don’t believe that life is so cheap that the death of any 20 year-old is not a shame; that even a drug dealer has potential, and surely there is a mother that cares if he is dead or alive. Let’s not forget that in many cases of gang shootings, it is not the intended target who is killed, but an innocent bystander.

 Licensing of gun owners will limit who has access to guns. It will not forbid law-abiding citizens, mothers included, from owning weapons. My grandmother owns a gun for protection. Licensing would limit potential buyers with a disqualifying history, like conviction for a violent misdemeanor, history of domestic violence, or any gun-related crime, from possessing firearms. In addition, licensing would require the gun owner to demonstrate a knowledge of gun safety and ability to handle a gun. This license would be valid for four years and is very similar to the process of getting a driver’s license. Registration of guns would create a level of accountability for gun owners, to protect against illegal sales and to promote responsible use and storage.

The fact is that guns alone do not kill people, people kill people with guns. Some people cause this killing by accident, by improperly storing their guns so that small children have access to them, or criminals can steal them. Some people kill simply because they are violent; they have a known history of abuse, and limits need to be set to ensure they no longer have access to weapons.

 I will not be getting Mother’s Day breakfast in bed this year made by my two children. But I will be getting something more prolific, the opportunity to speak out and be heard. The opportunity to effect change. I am tired of watching the news and hearing about another child killed by some form of gun violence. I refuse to sit by any more and wait until my town, my neighborhood, and my children are directly affected by this. It will be too late to speak out then. Please join me this Mother’s Day by going to Washington, DC, for the Million Mom March, not to take away guns, but to ensure a higher level of safety surrounding them. To learn more about the Million Mom March or to register to go to the march please check out their web site at www.millionmommarch.com.

Sincerely,

Addie Sandler

4 Far Horizon Lane, Newtown                                       May 3, 2000