Thursday, April 29, 2021

Gun Control: We're Punishing The Wrong People

As lawful gun owners have yet again become the target of political pressure and nonfactual claims, New Jersey State Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (R-LD13) is calling for attention be directed instead to the real root of the problems causing gun violence, such as a lack of substantial penalties on violent criminals and absence of mental health intervention programs:

“The nonsensical assault on the Second Amendment and the rights of law-abiding citizens continues across New Jersey,” said Scharfenberger. “The problem with gun violence is not legal gun owners, but illegal guns in the hands of criminals. Until that is addressed, gun violence will continue unabated.”

 

"As often with many things in New Jersey, it has become all too easy to point the finger at perceived scapegoats in order to divert attention away from a failure to tackle hard issues and introduce effectual policies. This is seen not only with crime, but also with the government’s overall deficient attention to the growing mental health crisis facing the public. Thus, it creates a perfect storm of inaction that leads to lives being put in harm’s way."

 

“When a person drives drunk or injures someone when driving without a license, we do not talk about making it more difficult to get licenses for responsible drivers - the same principle should apply to gun ownership,” Scharfenberger continued. “How does it make sense to punish those who have done nothing wrong just so you can ignore real problems? These political parlor games need to stop; it is wasting time and needlessly harming lives by neglecting the real issues.”

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