Posted on April 3 at 6:47 p.m.
Since the National Firearms Act of 1934, automatic weapons, rifles and shotguns with a barrel length under 18", silencers and anything else labeled a "distructive device," have been heavily regulated by the federal government. The Federal Firearms Act of 1938 and the Gun Control Act of 1968, further regulate these weapons.
Although I have not checked for several years, I am quite certain you will not find any criminal use of any weapon which has been licenced under these acts.
Unlicensed weapons, however, are another matter.
As far back as 1986, a Lawrence Police Officer advised me that there was a house in east Lawrence where you could buy any illegal weapon you wanted. I would hope that that operation has been closed down, but these illegal weapons are available despite the Kansas law banning them!
The question really is, do you fear a person who has been investigated and licensed more than you fear the criminals who import or manufacture illegal weapons, modify legal weapons to be illegal, or steal regulated weapons from places such as National Guard armories or the DEA? Remember the recent news that more guns are being lost by or stolen from the DEA.
Posted on April 11 at 8:57 p.m.
Mangiaracina takes such a simplistic approach that she sheds no light on the subject, but changes are needed.
Our welfare system has promoted the destruction of the family. The statistics are truly astounding. The single greatest predictor of a child's success in school, and the single greatest predictor of a child's involvement in crime, is the presence or absence of the father. I am not blaming single mothers. But single parent homes shortchange children. High incarceration rates are a direct result of the destruction of the family.
Our society has an "entitlement mentality." This is partly due to business and advertising. But if you sit through a criminal court session while the judge assesses whether to grant court appointed attorneys, you will soon realize our welfare system plays a huge part as well. Rather than reducing crime by providing a safety net, our welfare system creates a mindset that increases crime.
Crime is typically very low in poor, rural areas. This is not because poverty is less oppressive there. Nor is it because rural people do not see others’ wealth - some of the greatest gaps in wealth are in rural areas. Nor is it because rural people have greater opportunities - rural people may have to travel hundreds of miles for an opportunity. It is a sense of self-reliance. And they do not let self-esteem get in the way of self-improvement.
Even if we add our entire incarcerated population to our unemployment rate, it is still less than France's. Further, France's unemployment is artificially low. To cut unemployment, the French government forced shortened work weeks and longer vacations. This is one reason the French standard of living is far below ours. Even our poor have more cars, televisions, microwaves, dishwashers, etc., per capita, than the average French citizen.
As to our healthcare, there is a reason so much of the world comes here, if they can afford it. Cleveland became a world center for joint replacement due to Canadians who did not want to wait years for surgery. Great Britain and Canada have long waiting lists for procedures we consider routine. Are you willing to wait months to see a specialist, you now see in days?
Healthcare is too expensive, but the solution is competition, not government control. In the 1960's, before Medicare and health insurance for routine care, my grandmother hated going to her cardiologist, because it cost $8.00 per visit, compared to $2.00 for her family doctor. Now, how many people even know what a visit to the doctor, not just the co-pay, costs? There is no competition, yet we wonder why healthcare is so expensive.
On Mangiaracina: America tops list of most incarcerated