Voice of the people – Huntington Herald Dispatch

Columnist's facts on gun violence are inaccurate

Milt Hankin's recent column demonizing rifles is short on facts and inaccurate on laying blame. Mr. Hankins inquires whether America is more violent now than ever. According to the FBI, crime has fallen drastically over the last 20 years, including crimes involving the misuse of firearms, and accidental firearms fatalities are their lowest level since record keeping began in 1903, according to the National Safety Council.

He argues the Second Amendment was written with muskets in mind. But the Fourth Amendment applies to computers and cellphones even though it was written with a quill pen. The Supreme Court in Heller addressed this specious argument in its decision holding the Second Amendment applies to bearable arms commonly owned, not just muskets that existed at the time the Bill of Rights was ratified.

Mr. Hankins blames the tool instead of the criminal wielding the tool. He mislabels the most popular rifle in America, the AR-15, as an "automatic" firearm, which it is clearly not. Automatic firearms, like the military M-16, are, with extremely limited exception, heavily regulated from private ownership.

Mr. Hankins evokes the tragedies of Newtown and Aurora to suggest law-abiding gun owners are a ticking time bomb. His answer is to ban the manufacture and sale of modern sporting rifles like the AR-15. America tried that. From 1994-2004, the sale of these rifles was banned but the ban had no effect on crime rates. It's not the rifle. It's the criminal.

Senior vice president, general counsel

National Shooting Sports Foundation

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Voice of the people - Huntington Herald Dispatch