Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/123803
4A Daily News – Wednesday, April 24, 2013 Opinion Gun response DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Editor: I read Mr. Hugh Merhoff's gun control letter to the editor on Thursday, April 4. He is wrong. There is no data to support his accusation that "90% of the populace and 80% of NRA Members" support Universal Firearm Back Ground Checks. Neither point is true. First, the term "Background Check" is incorrectly used. Federal Law already requires that purchasers of handguns, rifles and shotguns through federally licensed dealers (possessing a FFL) must present identification, answer a series of personal questions and certify that they may legally buy and possess firearms; the buyer must submit to a NICS record check for criminal convictions and Mental Health status where States such as California have supplied the mental health records. In most states this takes about 20 minutes, because their State and Federal data systems are automated, and the dealers have a computer connected to the Federal and State data base. California is much stricter; we have a 10 day waiting period (some call it a "cooling off period") to insure that our State Department of Justice has time to check their records. California is also automated. Federal law also prohibits us from going to another State and buying a handgun from a dealer. Private parties can sell to others in their state legally under federal law, but some states like California prohibit such sales and prohibit Californians from bringing in handguns from other states unless the firearm is legally transferred On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 these serious violations of the law. about the money. This makes me National firearms sale records sick. indicate that the "AR" type semiWhat has happened to our sociauto rifle is the most popular rifle ety? Is everything based on in America. They are so popular money? What happened to the that they are in short supply. Man- family doctor or vet that would ufacture and sale of accessories for stop by and check on your well the AR rifles has almost being just because become a cottage industhey've known you for Your try. Google it and see. so long or you've been In the U.S. Supreme a loyal patron for so Court's decision "incormany years? porating" the inalienable Ironically. I received Right to Arms, the Seca letter on this very day ond Amendment, the Justices from a local veterinary clinic and it noted that the semiautomatic opens with, "At (name withheld) handgun is the most popular hand- we understand that your pet brings gun in the U.S. That is the hand- you much joy and we want to give gun with all the bullets, by the them utmost love and joy." That way. sentence should have been folThe trouble for us in trying to lowed and in small print "Unless write these laws is that there is no it's after hours and you have no data to support of their effective- cash or a major credit card." By the ness. Gun Crime did not jump up way. This came from Rocko's vet when States passed more permis- for several years. sive gun laws. Gun crime in CaliThank goodness for people fornia is not affected by the restric- like a good friend of mine who tive laws of our State. I believe the came to Rocko's aid just because Cities and States with the highest he cared. Cash or credit was not in crime also have the most restric- question during an emergency. He tive gun laws. met my boyfriend in Cottonwood In spite of the rhetoric about the and paid to get my pet the aid he need for gun control, America and needed. particularly California needs to I wonder and worry about the deal with all violence. elderly on a fixed income who Stephen Kimbrough, have pets as their only companCorning ions. What if their best friend were to get sick or get injured and they didn't have the money to save them? Pets keep many seniors Editor: happy and lively. Shame on us. "Call another vet." "It's after We have laws that say one can't hours." be refused medical attention at the These are some of the respons- emergency room. Why not for our es I got from several Red Bluff pets that we keep, care and love for veterinary clinics when my dog much of our lifetime? was hit by a car one late afternoon. Again I ask. What has hapRocko, my best friend for more pened to us as a caring and comthan 10 years, bleeding and in pain passionate society? and not one vet really cared. It's all Maureen Cahalan, Red Bluff Turn Veterinarians Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530-895-4217 STATE SENATOR — Jim Nielsen, 2635 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico, CA 95928, (530) 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 5583160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-2253076. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 3930710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Mission Statement We believe that a strong community newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehicles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its communities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the residents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 through a Federal Firearms License holder who is also licensed by the State Attorney General to sell firearms in California. In the case of handguns, this also registers them with the State. California requires that all handguns bought or brought into California be registered with the State Attorney General through the transfer process. This applies to gifts from friends or family too. People should to beware of politicians who offer an easy quick fix to social problems. With the incredible number of gun laws already in effect, most are unenforceable until after a firearm is misused. Mr. Merhoff and I will both comply with the law, but the criminal will not. Don't forget that there are also a lot of honest people who simply ignore such laws and will never be in a situation requiring police review. If Mr. Merhoff brought his "7 guns" into the Sheriff's Department for a serial number check, he will most likely find that there is no State record connecting him to ownership. That is the biggest problem with serious gun control. No one knows who owns a firearm. Any serious attempt to document ownership would require a police state. There is no State or Federal law requiring universal registration and there probably never will be one…unless we reach the end of our freedoms. Few people are aware that in support of firearm purchases there are about 1.5 million federal record checks done monthly in the U.S. A small percentage of these result in denial of the firearms purchase. Our Federal Government under a very liberal Administration fails to prosecute nearly all of Commentary Beware the American prom Proms sure have gotten expensive these days. According to the San Jose Mercury News, high school kids spend nearly $4 billion annually for dresses, accessories, flowers, beauty products, limos and other promrelated items. The average couple spends upward of $1,000 for the one-time event. That got me thinking about my own prom in 1980. I didn't know my date very well. She was in my photography class, pretty and, more important, available. We arranged a pre-prom meeting to get to know each other. We played tennis on a blisteringhot day, then headed back to her house for something cold to drink. After she berated her sister for drinking all the Tang, she turned her turret on me. "I heard about you, a regular class clown," she said. "You better not show up in a limo, wear a top hat or cane or do anything else to embarrass me." I knew right away things were going to work out fine. Still, I wanted to impress her. I was running a stone-masonry business in those years and was making a lot of money for a kid. I figured I'd use some of my dough to impress her. I bought her the finest corsage in our high school (it cost $45, a lot of money then). I bought a box of frozen steaks, snacks and other refreshments for the after-prom party. But my investments turned out to be bad ones. On the afternoon of the prom, my friend Gigs and I — we double dated — took a drive to the prom hall to make sure we wouldn't get lost later. Later that evening, we picked up our girls for photos and false enthusiasm. We were late for dinner (we got lost) and the awful night was under way. I'm certain my date didn't spend hundreds of dollars on her dress as girls do now, though I remember she looked great. The truth is, I can't remember what she was wearing because I hardly saw her all night long. She and the girl Gigs came with spent most of the night in the ladies' room while Gigs and I counted how many times the hard-rock band played "Cocaine" (nine). Finally, around 11:30 p.m., the dance was over. Unlike teens these days, we didn't use our credit cards to retire to the honeymoon suite. We took the girls home. But our suffering was just beginning. We picked up our dates early dupes of savvy marketers. They know that kids your age the next morning and have big allowances drove to a country cabin and overworked, guiltwhere my friend Cook riddled parents who was having an after-prom will cough up the party. The cabin was a dough if you ask them. two-hour drive, but it took Through programs us five (we got lost). My and advertisements on date didn't utter a word MTV, they've been until about 2 p.m., when rushing you into adultshe challenged Gigs and hood for years. They me to a tennis match. exploit the prom to cash I took it as a good sign. in on your insecurity It wasn't. and peer pressure. They Gigs is an outstanding Tom convince you to buy athlete and I'm no slouch teeth whitener, expenmyself. Once the game sive cosmetics and got under way, our testosother unnecessary junk terone got inflamed. Every time we scored, Gigs and I designed to fatten their bottom high-fived each other, laughing lines. But don't give in. Save your loudly. We creamed the girls, and after the match they refused to talk money. Be content that you're about to have one of the worst to us. Gigs and I spent the rest of the experiences of your young life. day tossing a football and eating Tom Purcell, a humor the steaks I brought. Around dusk, columnist for the Pittsburgh the girls found us and told us it was time to leave. We got home Tribune-Review, is nationally five hours later (we got lost) and syndicated exclusively by the torturous affair was finally Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Visit Tom on the Web over. So I have some advice for at www.TomPurcell.com or ehim at prom-goers this year: Hold onto mail your money. Don't be the unwitting Purcell@caglecartoons.com. Purcell