Dear editor
Well, I have not seen any of my last letters make it to the Cibola Citizen nor do I have any way of knowing if they have made it to the Gallup Independent, Gallup Sun, or Albuquerque Journal. Will we try another one about the most recent schools shooting and how the parents of the student shooter got arrested, Michigan school shooting: Tipster qualifies for $10k reward after Ethan Crumbley’s parents arrested (yahoo.com). New Mexico tried to pass a law years back making it as crime to leave firearms in the home laying around where children might harm themselves or others, More states consider laws to punish parents if children fire unsecured guns (msn.com). To be honest there are laws on the books in NM like child abuse that would cover this, New Mexico Child Abuse Laws - Find-Law. One law I recall had to be updated when a parent who drove DWI had several of their children in the vehicle and the police tried charging the parent for each child in the vehicle Otero-Lincoln DA recognized for criticism of new state DWI law (alamogordonews.com). Federal laws were passed many years ago for the sale of any handgun, and manufactures have been required by law on the Handgun Safety Act to provide a lock with each handgun sold since 2005 Youth Handgun Safety Act Notice (atf.gov). I guess the parents of the Michigan school shooter who just purchased the firearm four days before the shooting did not read the warnings that came with the handgun or brother to use the lock provided. Come to think of it the parent of the Sandy Hook shooter did not think too well when she taught her disturbed son how to shoot the AR-15 used in that mass killing, but she does not have to worry about being arrested because she was the first one killed by her own son, Adam Lanza - Family, Sandy Hook Shooting & Motive - Biography. My point is simple the problem is not he guns themselves but some people who trust some of their own family around firearms they suspect may have issues, but they make no attempt to lock or secure them when not in use or in their immediate control or supervision, that is called RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERSHIP. Maybe if more people practiced this, we would have less headlines for the national media to remind us with every day with, and not try to solve the problem by convincing the public and politicians the only way to stop gun violence is to take all guns away from law abiding citizens. The arrest of these parent in Michigan will might be a wake-up call for some folks but I doubt it, we seem to keep making the same mistakes repeatedly like trusting and voting in the Democrats and letting them decide what is best for the county.
Signed,
Mr. Harry L. Hall
USAF Vet, Retired Sheriff Lt