Limit Ammunition To Control Hand Guns
April 30, 1975
Those who might ban hand guns might nicely bear in mind the vintage riddle: “Which comes first, the fowl or the egg?”
A few cities have followed regulation prohibiting pistols, revolvers and the so-called “Saturday Night Specials” in a attempt to halt the hovering crime price.
So a ways, the effort has been like looking to empty the ocean with a tea spoon. The next city over sells reasonably-priced weapons, and no questions requested.
Congress, consequently, seems approximately ready to bear in mind the arguable notion seriously. Certainly simplest a kingdom-extensive ban has any threat to be effective.
I support hand gun law, however oppose tries to curtail shoulder guns.
Pocket guns, capable of being concealed, are short range weapons of surprise 50 Beowulf ammo and vengeance. Rifles, but, are carried overtly. They are useful for sport and defense in opposition to armies of invasion.
Gun manage is impractical truly due to the convenience with which hand weapons may be constructed, transported and concealed.
Which brings us to the bird and egg puzzle.
Exactly three years ago in this column, I suggested that we give up trying to limit the gun and method the hassle thru the more susceptible path of ammunition.
Gun manipulate advocates brushed off the idea as “simplistic.” The late Congressman Frank Bow circulated the column to 3 gun-control legislators but were given an indifferent response.
Now comes an Illinois citizens’ institution called the Committee for Handgun Control, Inc., that is in search of to pressure the United States. Government to ban the sale of hand gun ammunition as a method of controlling cheap hand guns.
The institution has petitioned the brand new federal Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban ammunition on grounds it’s miles risky, and that the fee has jurisdiction over risky materials.
This is the hand gun committee’s 2nd try and force the fee. A 12 months in the past the commission ruled that banning ammunition would quantity to a “returned door” ban reachable guns, a direct violation of law that set up the fee.
Nevertheless the hand gun committee has gained a court docket in shape requiring the fee to reconsider, which it’s far now doing.
Two months in the past the product safety fee requested the public to comment on the suggestion to ban ammunition. “Several hundred thousand” replies have flooded in.
Eventually, the U.S. Supreme Court may also determine the issue.
While hand weapons can be synthetic and smuggled without difficulty, the production of bullet-first-rate gunpowder requires noticeably developed era.
In addition, the manufacture of a shell casing requires a large, expensive, quite accurate stamping press. Only a completely few factories, in the United States are capable of making primer shells which sportsmen sometimes fill with commercially manufactured gunpowder.
In short, there are only a few resources of supply for powder and shells. The deliver ought to be fairly smooth to regulate.
Cut off the supply of ammunition, and hand guns will rust into old fashioned souvenirs.
Rifle-calibre ammunition may want to continue to be made to be had quite simply in hardware and sports stores.