On gun regulations

I would like to offer a rebuttal to Mr. Hall’s letter about gun control (Sept 3). 

1. 1.    “Nothing about firearms themselves has changed”.I beg Mr. Hall to reconsider or clarify that statement. Modern weapons with large magazines, rapid firing capacity and armor-piercing bullets, all designed to make killing easier, were not available to private citizens in the 1950’s. 
2. 2.    “The states with the most restrictive gun laws still lead the country in gun violence.”There is actually a strong body of literature published in respectable medical, public health and law journals reporting that stricter state gun policies were associated with a 10-35% decrease rate of firearm homicides, mass shootings, and suicides, even after adjusting for demographic and sociological factors. Specifically, these laws include strengthening universal background check and permit-to-purchase gun and ammunition, and enhancing gun safety design and storage. Conversely, allowing people to carry weapons, and “stand-your-ground” laws are associated with a substantial rise in the incidence of assault with a firearm. Missouri experienced a 25% increase in homicide rate after it repealed laws requiring permits to purchase gun, even as the rate fell nationwide.

We should recognize that no gun laws can guarantee complete safety, but each small step would reduce injuries and deaths. As for missing Norman Rockwell’s idyllic era, let’s remind ourselves that the National Rifle Association then supported the 1934 National Firearms Act that regulated gun ownership with background check and mandatory registration, and gave us more than half a century of shelter from gun violence.

(Submitted Sept 6, published Sept 17, 2019, in the Gazette Times, Corvallis)