Stolen guns are a problem
There are many aspects to the ongoing, emotional debate about gun ownership. I’m generally on the liberal side, but there is one small point on which I think everyone except criminals should be able to agree. Stolen guns, which are guns basically given free to people who are by definition criminals, make society more dangerous for us all, and must be especially irritating to the owners of the guns which are stolen.
I first wrote about this issue around a year ago. Since then, several things have happened. The Observer-Reporter has reported that more than 100 guns have been stolen locally. On the positive side, the National Rifle Association has conducted a well-received program for women on responsible gun ownership. State Sen. Camera Bartolotta and Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone have conducted a class on concealed carry laws.
Also during this period, the University of Pittsburgh completed a study showing that most crimes involving guns are committed with stolen guns, although there are a few criminals – the low-hanging fruit, you might say – who are caught when they falsify their applications trying to buy guns legally.
Yet, I have found it difficult to make this narrow point because people assume a person is either for guns or against guns. Surely, it is in everyone’s interest to find ways to minimize the number of stolen guns. Along with safes, there are clocks, books, radios, and other fake containers that are not as obvious as the nightstand drawer where guns can be kept. The glove compartment in a car is the first place a thief looks.
There are also trigger locks, rings to wear that are needed for a gun to function, and probably many other options that minimize the possibility that a thief will obtain a usable or sellable weapon.
I’m no gun expert, and I know we will never totally eliminate gun theft, but I’m sure we can do better than we’re doing. Nobody supports the Second Amendment because they want the right to have their gun stolen.
Gerard Weiss
Washington