Comments on: Gun control debate shows divide between two cultures

By: metro143

metro143 — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:30:00 +0000

In reply to A Responsible Shoreman. I'm so tired of Maryland, My home, The state where I was born. The state that I once loved. Now all I get is more and more taxes, wasteful government. less freedom, more government regulations. It's always a new law that is needed to stop crime. The Saturday night special law. Eight day waiting period law. The laws don't work. I go to courts in Baltimore city all the time. Same old story. If you really want to know why crime is so high in the state. Go to court in Baltimore. Ask these questions to your legislators What is the average jail time for a person convicted of murder in Maryland and Baltimore city. They never tell you about how many murderers serve less than 10 years in jail. They don't tell you that many of the people who support gun control and pass these laws have and carry firearms for their protection. Governor O'mally leave us alone. or better yet. Just leave

By: Cindy B-More

Cindy B-More — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:44:00 +0000

This bill/law will not do anything to reduce violent crime. I think the vast majority of us realize that. This bill/law simply puts additional restrictions on law abiding gun owners, who have been giving in again and again for many years.

When the anti-gun side sees that the gun laws don’t work, they blame it on “loopholes” and think additional gun laws will somehow help. We go through this over and over and over.

The sad thing is that the Governor used us (legislators and constituents) as pawns in his selfish goal to build his resume by passing this bill. He misrepresented the bill publicly, and pressured Democrat legislators behind closed doors to support it.

By: floridarooster

floridarooster — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:09:00 +0000

The amount of ignorance about guns is staggering. Even the guy that wrote this article displays his ignorance when he refers to magazines as “clips.” Those who support gun control have probably never owned a firearm or learned the safe use of one. It is all emotion and no logic. This law will do NOTHING to disarm all the street thugs, drug dealers, and career criminals who prey on each other mostly and sometimes on law abiding citizens. Maryland is tragic – let’s do away with the death penalty and make if very difficult for law abiding citizens to protect themselves. That will not change the outcome.

By: A Responsible Shoreman

A Responsible Shoreman — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:07:00 +0000

I think your numbers are wrong. Polls reflect the folks who commission them and there were several taken here in Maryland that showed the numbers to be reversed from your story. Either way, the one poll that cannot be denied is the one referenced at the end of the story where the debate has convinced those people who did not own guns but knew they had the right to get one when they felt they needed it, have now seen that right whittled away and fear its loss altogether. They are the ones who are pushing the gun sales to record levels, not from fear of any person or group but from fear of the loss of their right to do so at a later time. The average citizens are the ones who are buying the guns and ammo at this time and that in itself speaks to their thoughts on the gun control measures. They WANT to have access to defensive weapons of THEIR choice. The bottom line is this, the people of Maryland are voting with their dollars because they can’t trust their politicians to do it for them.
So much for the gun issues. Now, this was all supposed to be an effort to reduce the mass killings that we have seen too much of in the last few years. Will this legislation do that?? Probably not. What we should focus on is an issue that also deals with one of our rights from the Bill Of Rights, the right of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. I am a firm believer in our Constitutional Rights, but I also believe that citizens need to exercise those rights in a responsible manner. The press needs to look at their role in the spread of these mass murders as much as the politicians looked at the guns. Remember when streaking was a big thing in the ball field and public events years ago? The media at that time realized that their coverage of those events was feeding the problem. They chose to not address the streakers in their media coverage. They acknowledged that it happened but they did not report who the person was, why they did it, or other details that would encourage others to follow suit. As a result, the practice quickly faded away without the need for additional laws. The press is to be commended for that responsible decision to reduce the problem over the need to sensationalize the event for their own short term gains. I believe the press is an unintended supporter of the spread of these killings. I believe that if the press just simply refused to report the names of the individuals who commit these crimes, it would lessen to attractiveness of the events to those in our communities that may feel this is what they would like to do when the time comes they decide they don’t want to live in our society any longer and decide to make their Last Stand one that will give them their 15 days of fame. I believe the press plays directly into the problems people like this are working with and gives them an opportunity to be famous on their way out. Do I believe we need to pass laws to keep the press from doing this?? NO! I do believe that a dialog with the press needs to be opened and for the press to take responsible actions to limit the sensationalizing of these terrible events.
The answers don’t lie with the control of inanimate objects. They lie in the minds of our people. Guns are just something we can ban and say that we did something about the problem. That is just one aspect to the answer. Ok.. this is much longer than I intended. If you are still reading, thanks for your concern for the problem.