LETTERS: U.S. ATTORNEY DEFIES GOOD LOGIC

To the editor:

The Feb. 19 front-page article, "Concealed guns under fire," got me to wondering if I've lived in the hills too long and my logical thinking is going bad.

In that article, a U.S. attorney said the conceal-carry law, as it is written could allow a gang member to carry a concealed weapon into a stadium, bank or saloon. I assumed that the example of a gang member was used because they are generally known to rob, rape and murder. I had to ask myself if the U.S. attorney really thinks a gang member would go to the trouble to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon into a bank he was about to rob.

I reasoned that maybe this top law-enforcement official was on to something that I hadn't thought of, so I put myself in the gang member's place to find out. Here's how it went:

Let's say I'm a gang member who wants to rob a bank, and I want to get my gun into the bank legally concealed. First, I go to the sheriff's office and apply. Since I'm an evil gang member, this is tricky, because the sheriff may be looking for me anyway. But I try it. The sheriff tells me that according to the law I must be at least 21 years old, a U.S. resident and a resident of this state for at least six months. I cannot have pleaded guilty to a felony or a misdemeanor involving a firearm or explosive weapon. I cannot be a fugitive from justice for felony charges anywhere in the United States. I cannot have been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces. I cannot be frequently intoxicated by alcohol or a known controlled substance. I cannot be deemed mentally incompetent or mentally ill. I cannot have exhibited violent behavior toward others, except in self-defense, in the last five years. I have to take a handgun safety course approved by the Department of Public Safety with a minimum of 12 hours. The sheriff says I must give him my fingerprints, and a background check will be performed by the State Highway Patrol. Then the sheriff says he will have 45 days to check all this out and then charge me $80 up front and $35 every three years after that. To top all of this, my juvenile records will be opened. Also, if at any time a citizen thinks I should not have a permit, he can sue me in small-claims court, and the sheriff must check out the claim. By this time, I'm disgusted. As a gang member, I figure I'll skip all this and go buy an illegal gun at the same place I buy illegal drugs. Then I think: Wait a minute. All these law-abiding citizens will now be armed. If I pull out my illegal gun at the bank, I may immediately have 20 legal ones pointed at me. So I decide to give up on a life of crime. It's getting too dangerous.

Back in the hills now, I concluded an evil gang member would not have a chance of even getting a permit. The U.S. attorney knows this. He also knows if he tells a whopper about the potential threats of concealed-carry, it will get on the front page, and someone not knowing the facts will believe it. Letters like mine will end up on page 10A maybe.

Well, this U.S. attorney is smart, and I'm just one of those back-country people. Why, heck, I even though the president was subject to the same laws I am. Maybe I should sit back and think about that one too.

DOUG SNIDER

Marquand