Readers Write (April 19): Senate gun vote

The top headline on March 18 read "Senate delivers stunning defeat to Obama on guns." Wrong. It should have read "Senate delivers stunning defeat to the American people on guns."

Most polls showed that more than 60 percent of the American people favored stricter background checks — and even, according to the Military Times (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines), 73 percent of the active armed forces favored universal background checks for all weapons transfers.

This had nothing to do with the Second Amendment. Plain and simple, the majority of the Senate paid obeisance to thugs, crazies, criminals and druggies. Shame on them.

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The front-page picture of the president with two supporters is a classic picture of political defeat, but also a classic picture of governmental victory for the American people by speaking out.

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The April 18 editorial citing the "shameful day for the U.S. Senate" was indeed interesting. How dare senators vote down ineffective "feel good" legislation!

What I find "shameful" is the Editorial Board's unwillingness to even question the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's failure to produce a budget for three years, thereby shirking the Senate's constitutional mandate. Or the total aversion to any budget cut whatsoever as we hurtle along toward economic meltdown.

The list goes on and on, but with a Democratic Senate and president, the Star Tribune will find "selective" shame, I'm sure.

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Given the mostly arcane, irrelevant and paranoid points the NRA raises to justify expanding gun ownership in the United States, Americans might be excused for thinking there is some confusion or mystery in how a society can improve its gun safety record. In fact, throughout the rest of the developed world, there is no confusion whatsoever: Virtually every developed country in the world has a better record than us. Their solutions might be particular to their individual circumstances, but they all do a better job than we do.

Take, for example, a sampling of English-speaking countries: The United States has a gun homicide rate that is 6.4 times Canada's, 35 times Australia's, and 80 times England's. Add gun suicides and accidents into the mix, and the ratios remain roughly the same. Although the U.S. population represents less than 5 percent of the world's total, 60 percent of the mass shootings in the past 50 years have occurred within our borders. Of the 11 deadliest shootings in the United States, five have happened since 2007. Six, if you include Sandy Hook.

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I was quite bothered by the defeat. Then I read the bill. I am completely in favor of background checks for gun sales, but this bill would result in the federal government compiling a list of all guns sales by owner, make, model and serial number unless given as a gift within the immediate family or inherited by will. That is going too far. I am not a big fan of the NRA and do not own any guns, but this bill would jeopardize the intent of the Second Amendment. Had it been in place in the early 1770s, we would still be British.

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I live two blocks from Accent Signage in Minneapolis, where last fall a gunman killed seven people, including himself. My mother, in Wisconsin, lives a few blocks from the suburban mall where, a couple of months later, a gunman killed three women and himself. We know very well the deadly consequences of not checking gun purchases to ensure responsible ownership. No one, on the other hand, has died from the inconvenience of a background check.

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I don't care who knows about my guns. I do not fear our government trying to take them away. If I choose to buy another gun, I'm OK going through a background check, and I surely have no need for an assault rifle. I have never used more than two or three shells to kill a deer. As a matter of fact, my shotguns have a five-shot capacity, but when I'm afield hunting, I must have a plug in the magazine that limits the capacity to three shots. Thirty-shot clips make no sense to me at all.

I am not a member of the NRA. I let my membership lapse several years ago, but I wish I was still a member. If I were, I would tear up my membership card and send it back to Wayne LaPierre, and suggest to him where he should stick it.

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This fear of compromise doesn't stop with the gun issue. Liberal Democrats are unwilling to take a chance on middle-ground entitlement reform. How do they propose to balance the budget? Most Republicans seem unwilling to compromise on immigration reform. How many millions of illegal residents are they willing to expel? Tea Partiers and Republicans are unwilling to compromise on tax policy. How many consequences of growing income inequality are they willing to swallow?

The president and various "gangs of eight" have tried to do the people's work. They have worked for middle ground compromises on finance, guns and immigration. But powerful issue-minorities remain determined to block any measure that steps on their toes. How sad.

Dear Minnesota legislators: The onus of enacting a similar gun buyer registration bill in Minnesota is now on each of you. Will you vote for your personal interests or for the will of a majority of Minnesota citizens? Unfortunately I fear, you'll vote your own self-interests. Please prove me wrong!