Letter: Proud of excellent gun grades in the East Bay

Posted 12/13/18

To the editor:

The National Rifle Association was founded as a sporting and hunting association in 1871. In the 1920s and 30s, the NRA lobbied for gun control legislation in many states, as well …

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Letter: Proud of excellent gun grades in the East Bay

Posted

To the editor:

The National Rifle Association was founded as a sporting and hunting association in 1871. In the 1920s and 30s, the NRA lobbied for gun control legislation in many states, as well as supporting the uniform 1934 National Firearms Act and the 1938 Federal Firearms Act, which together prohibitively taxed the private ownership of automatic weapons, mandated licensing for handgun dealers, included waiting periods for handgun buyers and required concealed weapons permits. In 1939 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld these requirements as consistent with the Second Amendment.

Unfortunately, the NRA has now been captured by a fanatic fringe of the gun-owning public, opposes any and all meaningful gun laws and uses its narrow-minded political muscle to bully legislators as it doles out “grades” on the basis of how subservient they are to its extreme positions. If a lawmaker gives any sign of wanting to figure out a reasonable way to diminish the pain and hurt that the proliferation of guns has engendered, this results in a “downgrade” by the NRA.

We in Barrington are always proud of the grades our citizens achieve, and especially those just reported in the Providence Journal for our Representatives Jason Knight and Liana Cassar, and for Senator Cynthia Coyne. Rep. Knight is a former RI state prosecutor and Sen. Coyne a former RI State Trooper. They have direct experience of the impact of loosely controlled guns on society — a lot more than the armchair “experts” at the NRA. Congratulations to these three legislators for their excellent “F” grades — and as we always say when we see great grades — keep up the good work!

Daniel I. Becker, M.D.

Barrington

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