Bad people having guns is root of problem

We don’t need to look to LA to see what the problem is with guns. The problem is bad people committing bad crimes with those guns.

The Recorder’s story on the type of guns taken away from bad people illustrated the point: In nearly every instance, the person with the gun has no right to the weapon. Without getting into the political debate on more laws controlling guns, we hope we’ll see continued efforts to get guns out of the wrong hands. Both the Porterville Police Department and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department are aggressively working to get guns out of the wrong hands. Between just those two agencies last year, more than 500 guns were confiscated. While the majority were handguns, the most dangerous weapons are found during narcotics searches, especially at illegal marijuana grow sites.

However, and police agree, being more aggressive and taking away guns from people who should not have them will do a lot more to curb gun violence than any new laws. Police point out, there are plenty of laws to enforce; they just need the tools.

The tragic shooting in Porterville last week is an example of the wrong person having a gun. Had that gun been taken away a 19-year-old man may still be alive today. The gun used was not an assault rifle and probably a legal gun in the right hands, but a deadly instrument in the wrong hands.

There is no doubt some gun laws will be passed, such as a ban on some assault rifles and bullet clips that can hold more than 20 rounds, but the efforts by law enforcement to take guns away from bad people will do far more to ensure safety than anything else.