Gun control not as drastic as portrayed

David Skelton, Las Vegas

Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 | 2:02 a.m.

In response to the letter to the editor from Roger Witcher, “It’s a mistake to disarm good guys,” I would like to point out a few misconceptions that he and many others have about gun control.

First, I don’t think that anyone is advocating confiscating every gun in America. He is correct that it would be a needless and impossible task. I do think, however, that we need to make every effort to reduce the types of weapons that are capable of causing so much death in such a short amount of time. No one hunts with an assault rifle. Law-abiding citizens can and should have the right to acquire guns used for hunting and home defense.

We need to increase our efforts to control who can purchase a gun. Does anyone really want to allow felons, terrorists or the mentally ill to buy guns at gun shows without a background check? It is a dangerous loophole that needs to be closed.

Lastly, Mr. Witcher feels that having the “good guys” armed with more guns will somehow deter the “deranged individuals” from going on killing sprees because of their fear of being shot. It’s not unusual that the mentally ill don’t even make the connection between their actions and possible consequences.

In many officer-involved shootings, the victim has some form of mental illness or is a substance abuser, or a combination of the two. They are simply unable to follow simple commands or make connections between their actions and the consequences.

As long as high-capacity guns and assault rifles are allowed into the hands of “deranged individuals,” it won’t matter how many guns the “good guys” have. There will still be mass killings.