Gun law would hurt irresponsible owners
The gun lobby must think Delawareans are stupid. Tom Shellenberger's response to the gun legislation for reporting stolen and lost firearms is trying to distract us from acting responsibly.
The legislation, proposed by Gov. Jack Markell and Attorney General Beau Biden, seems like a reasonable attempt to track firearms and limit the secondhand sales of guns, which often end up in the hands of criminals.
Instead Shellenberger and the gun lobby are arguing that the proposed legislation treats law-abiding citizens who own guns like criminals. That makes no sense.
How does requiring that stolen guns be reported turn anyone into a criminal? Unless they actually are criminals, why would they oppose this legislation? If you had a personal property stolen, wouldn't you want to report it to the police? Why is the reporting of lost or stolen firearms any different?
Furthermore, responsible gun owners know where their guns are. It’s the irresponsible gun owners who potentially would be opposed to this bill. So it seems the gun lobby is trying to protect irresponsible gun owners, not responsible ones.
I hope Delawareans are aware of the gun lobby's attempt to distort. The proposed legislation is good for law-abiding citizens, both owners and non-gun owners. It's the irresponsible gun owners who are going to be impacted by the proposed legislation.