“‘Hero’ turns her attention to gun control,” the Friday headline screams. The article does not help educate the public about current gun control laws on the books. Dayna Klein was one of six women shot at the Jewish Federation office in Seattle on July 28.
I cannot think of any reason why more gun control laws would have helped stop the shooter from entering the offices and opening fire on the women. Stricter enforcement of the current laws would reduce the incident of illegal guns in the hands of criminals.
There is a mandatory five-year federal prison term for having an illegal firearm. Several cities are charging suspected felons with this law when stopped for any violation. Project Exile, created by Assistant U.S. Attorney General David Schiller for the city of Richmond, Va., started an aggressive effort to arrest and sentence every felon who had a weapon in their procession when stopped. Project Exile has a zero tolerance; no deals and no plea bargain. No exceptions. The program works to stop criminals from using a firearm during an illegal activity. In 2001, President Bush introduced a national effort, Project Safe Neighborhoods, which included Project Exile. His administration also committed $1 billion to this effort. Operation CeaseFire, a companion program, is a joint local, state and federal initiative to aggressively prosecute individuals who unlawfully use, possess or transfer firearms. Should Everett, Seattle and other cities in Washington use this program? You bet. It may not always stop someone from using a firearm during a criminal act but the perpetrator will be gone for at least five years.
Remember: target criminals, not gun owners.
John Van Dalen
Everett
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