TRIGGER LOCKS NOTHING NEW, SAY DEALERS; SMITH AND WESSON DEAL ONLY FOR SHOW, THEY SAY

Trigger locks won't lock up gun violence, two Southeast Missouri gun dealers say.

Cape Girardeau gun dealer Ben Ritter and Sikeston gun dealer Alan Reiman said Thursday they put little stock in gun manufacturer Smith and Wesson's much publicized agreement to provide safety locks on its handguns.

Gun manufacturers already are shipping guns with separate trigger locks that customers can install, said Ritter, manager of Shooters Gun Shop in Cape Girardeau. "The reality of it is that they have already been shipping guns with trigger locks for about a year and a half," said Ritter.

He said probably less than half of his customers even bother to take the trigger locks out of the box.

Ritter said there are two types of trigger locks: a key lock that fits over the trigger and a cable lock that extends down through the barrel and chamber of the gun.

Reiman owns Re Armms Inc., a Sikeston gun shop. He said some firms already manufacture guns with built-in trigger locks.

All gun manufacturers provide gun locks for their guns. "Ten or 20 percent are building them into their guns," said Reiman.

Both dealers said Smith and Wesson's agreement is more show than substance.

"This is a knee-jerk reaction by politicians to pat themselves on the back," said Ritter. "It is not going to stop criminals."

Ritter said most people who buy handguns want them for self defense. For those people, trigger locks would only make it harder to defend themselves against an intruder, he said.

"The guy who is breaking into your house is not going to slow down for you while you get the trigger lock off your gun," said Ritter.

Trigger locks aren't tamper proof. "Any lock can be broken," he said. "All you need is a good drill."

Ritter believes the gun industry is being unfairly criticized. "I have yet to see an ad that says, 'Buy this gun because you can commit more crimes with it.'"

Reiman said trigger locks won't keep criminals from using guns. "The criminal is not going to keep his gun locked up."

"What Smith and Wesson is doing has nothing to do with making guns safer," said Reiman. The gun manufacturer, he said, entered into an agreement to avoid legal battles.

Federal officials said the agreement was designed to settle existing lawsuits and make new ones unnecessary.

The agreement was announced a week ago. Several city and county governments around the country have agreed to drop their lawsuits against the firm. They include St. Louis, Detroit, Atlanta, San Francisco and Miami-Dade County, Fla.

As part of the agreement, Smith and Wesson has promised to introduce "smart gun" technology in new firearms models within 36 months. Such technology would allow the guns to be used only by authorized users.

It also would bar gun sales without a background check of the buyer and limit multiple handgun sales.

But Ritter and Reiman said there are a number of federal gun laws on the books.

Ritter said area gun dealers already have to fill out a special form and send it to the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms office in St. Louis if a customer buys two or more handguns within a week's time.

Reiman said it is illegal for gun dealers to sell guns to children. "You can't legally own a hand gun until you are 21," he said. "You have to be 18 to own a long gun."

Reiman believes guns already have safeguards against accidental firings. "They are built now so safe, they will not fire unless you pull the trigger," he said.

Mandating trigger locks on new guns won't address all the guns already in use, said Reiman.

Ultimately, he said, parents must take responsibility to teach gun safety to their children.