Adios, Michelle

Please Mr. Governor, take away my guns, while you are at it, pardon every criminal in the State Penns too.

Whose side are you on Ed?

did you see that banner on WGAL's slideshow of the gun control rally? the parent that made this banner has endured a tragedy that no parent should have to go through. but you have to ask yourself why the sign doesn't say, "who killed my son?" or "who let my son's killer out of jail early on a previous offense?" or, "who gave my son's killer a reduced jail sentence for previous offenses?"

furthermore, the gun in the picture is clearly some type of machine pistol (search "machine pistol" on google/images for similar images). for those that don't know (and that's most non-gun owners), fully automatic 'machine guns' or 'machine pistols' have been HIGHLY regulated since 1968, much more strictly than even semi-automatic rifles, so-called 'assault weapons'. they are nearly impossible for law-abiding citizens to purchase, license or own. therefore, they are COMPLETELY OUTSIDE THE SCOPE of this debate! but they look scary, and since almost all non-gun owners don't know the difference between fully auto and semi-auto, machine guns are great for advancing the anti-gun agenda, a cause whose supporters have never shied away from using lies and half-truths to further because the truth simply cannot support it.

i don't blame the misinformed parent for this inadvertant misrepresentation, but i do blame Rendell and every lawmaker and police officer present at this rally for not stepping forward and pointing out this glaring error because they should have recognized it.

of course, none of this will ever stop criminals from buying ANY type of gun on the black market, where there NO regulations whatsoever.

so to answer this poor parent's question: a criminal sold this gun to another criminal, who, tragically, used it to kill your son. in all likelihood, one or both of these criminals have long records and have been released early from one or more jail sentences, and/or they were given drastically reduced sentences through plea bargaining. if 'the system' had kept either of these criminals locked up, your son would probably be alive today. what a shame. you have my condolences.

Which polls is this? By whom was it conducted, and more importantly (to avoid the possibility of bias), by whom was it financed? Have this poll's data gathering and statistical analysis methods been validated by independent researchers according to standard scientific practice, or have "Rendell and other leaders" blindly accepted the poll's claims because these claims APPEAR to legitimize the Governor's anti-gun agenda?

More importantly, are there any polls that show exactly the opposite: that a majority of Pennsylvanians are OPPOSED to one-gun-a-month gun control schemes? Did "Rendell and other leaders" even bother to look for any such polls? Or did they simply fabricate the claims of this mysterious, yet-to-be-validated poll to give credence to their failing anti-gun agenda? After all, the PA House Judiciary Committee voted down a one-gun-a-month bill just last month. Isn?t that the way our legislature is supposed to function?

I?ll tell you what IS true: a vast majority of Pennsylvanians are sick and tired of being blamed for Philadelphia?s problems. We?re even more tired of having to sacrifice our hard-earned tax dollars and constitutional rights in attempts to solve these problems. We're also sick and tired of liberal Philadelphia lawmakers trying to deny MILLIONS of law-abiding Pennsylvania citizens their constitutional rights just because these inept lawmakers and even more inept city leaders can't or won't control their own urban crime problem.

Reality has shown gun control to be both unnecessary and ineffective at reducing crime?anywhere and anytime it?s been implemented. What Philadelphia really needs is CRIMINAL CONTROL: get the degenerates off the street and your crime problem will disappear without ever having to lay a finger on the wallets or rights of law-abiding citizens.

David W.Kahler