Letters to the Editor 1-10-13

Gun control
Editor: By now, all those in the Healdsburg area who care about heading off more gun-fuelled massacres and just general gun craziness in our country have already sent checks to either the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (BradyCampaign.org) or to California’s Courage Campaign (CourageCampaign.org). And you’ve sent your first batch of letters to President Obama, Joe Biden, Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and Jared Huffman. Good work!
Oh, send one to Mike Thompson, too. Although he chairs a congressional task force on gun violence, he does not seem to understand the true dimensions of the problem facing our country. He refuses to use the term “gun control” (Press Democrat, Jan. 6), since it “creates a divide that’s not bridgeable.” Mike, the term does not create the divide; the divide’s already there. We’re demanding from you effective, wide-ranging gun-control legislation.  
The initial news from Joe Biden’s committee is encouraging. They seem to want to go far beyond just a ban on assault-weapons and high-capacity magazines. They are considering:
• carrying out universal background checks for ALL firearm buyers;
• tracking the movement and sale of weapons through an EFFECTIVE national database;
• strengthening mental health checks;
• stiffening penalties giving guns to minors;
• closing a loophole that allows people to bypass background checks if they purchase firearms at gun shows or through other types of private sales.
That sounds good to me for openers. You can include these points in your next batch of letters.
We must remind ourselves not to be intimidated by the gun-worshippers (as opposed to hunters) or to waste time in debating. As Jon Adler, national president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said, “As we get involved in these ad nauseam debates over the Second Amendment, our children are still at risk. Debating is not the action verb we need to protect our children.”
Only we can keep the momentum growing and not “waste a crisis.” Stop future massacres and gun craziness by mapping out your own “action campaign.”
Dave Henderson
Healdsburg