I got a real laugh out of Barry O’Sullivan’s letter to the editor, “Discussing Reasonable Gun Controls, Not Exploitation” (Sentinel, Aug. 16).
Mr. O’Sullivan laments that “those who say it’s too soon to talk about” gun control in the immediate aftermath of a national tragedy “never seem to get around to telling us when we can.”
Mr. O’Sullivan, the gun-control crowd isn’t waiting for anyone to tell them when to talk, and nothing will ever stop them from pontificating about gun control while others come together in a show of national unity to mourn the victims and comfort the wounded. Interestingly, I can’t recall them pontificating when it doesn’t serve their purposes. But that’s not the point.
You see, Mr. O’Sullivan, while you claim to “believe strongly in a citizen’s right to own guns,” there are those who don’t. And there’s no guarantee that you won’t remain silent while others try to implement what they claim to be “reasonable” gun controls, i.e., a total ban on Americans’ right to protect themselves. I could, however, be wrong, and would love to know all the times you demonstrated how you “believe strongly in a citizen’s right to own guns.” You see, Mr. O’Sullivan, I have those same beliefs, but I don’t demonstrate them by calling for “reasonable” gun controls while the bodies of my fellow Americans haven’t been buried yet.
How is it, Mr. O’Sullivan, that in the wake of mass murder when we “try to understand what happened and look for ways to minimize the chances that it will be repeated,” the gun-control crowd never looks at the person or circumstances involved? They can’t wait until the bodies are buried and only look at the gun. Why not immediately have a discussion about the failings of the psychiatric treatment the Colorado shooter received or what the University of Colorado police did when they were informed he was dangerous? Why can’t we talk about the white-supremacist ideology as the cause for the mass murders in Wisconsin and call for restrictions? I’m sure the liberal ACLU would love that.
Why is there never a discussion about all the times an armed citizen acts to prevent a tragedy? Do you honestly believe that never happens?
As to the gun-related tragedies that the gun-control crowd doesn’t pontificate about, I point to Operation Fast and Furious. The Justice Department demanded that gun dealers circumvent and ignore the law to sell the very guns you think it’s reasonable to ban. Thousands of guns ended up in the hands of Mexican drug dealers. An American border agent was murdered as well as countless numbers of Mexican citizens and police. The Justice Department refused to turn over documents to Congress and the President invoked executive privilege to deny Congress the documents. And the gun-control crowd says nothing.
Finally, to answer Mr. O’Sullivan’s question, it’s time to start talking about gun control when those who are in favor of so-called “reasonable controls” can exhibit a little bit of honesty, integrity and human decency, stop demonizing American patriots who defend the Constitution of the United States, and show some respect for the rights of others. So far, that hasn’t happened. I’m betting it never will. Because, Mr. O’Sullivan, it’s not about the guns. It’s about control. And it always will be.
Ben Feigenbaum
East Brunswick