Letter of the day: D.C. gun law repeal will make us less safe

Last update: February 13, 2008 - 6:00 PM

As chief of the Chaska police department, I was disappointed to learn that members of our state's congressional delegation have joined Vice President Dick Cheney in filing a U.S. Supreme Court brief urging the justices to strike down generation-old restrictions on handgun ownership in Washington, D.C.

The court's ruling won't affect just the nation's capital. The decision could also prevent the federal, state and local governments from crafting reasonable firearms laws to reduce crime in their own jurisdictions.

Gun violence plagues every corner of this country, including Minnesota. In the years from 2000 to 2005, firearms killed 1,998 residents of our state.

In 2005 alone, the last year for which data are available, 361 Minnesotans were killed by firearms -- 88 by homicide, 255 by suicide, nine through accidents, two in the course of legal intervention and seven with unknown intent. In other words, firearms accounted for twice the number of Minnesota deaths that year from drowning, fires, lightning, tornados, heat and floods combined.

Different legal approaches may make sense in different parts of the country. But state and local leaders, in consultation with law enforcement, should have the authority and tools they need to fight crime in their communities. Police know from experience that common-sense measures like background checks, requirements for safety training and trigger locks, and other laws are effective in protecting public safety. Eliminating these measures would only put our citizens, and our officers, at greater risk.

That's why the International Association of Chiefs of Police (with 20,000 members in 112 countries), Major Police Chiefs (representing the 56 largest police departments in the United States), the International Brotherhood of Police Officers (representing more than 50,000 members) and other law enforcement groups have supported the right of Washington, D.C. -- and other jurisdictions -- to make their own law enforcement decisions.

Members of Congress should spend their time finding ways to help police fight crime, rather than undermining law enforcement for political gain.

SCOTT KNIGHT, CHASKA

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