Gun advocates fueled by irrational emotion (Letter)Thanks to Lawrence Braico of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs ("Gun law's flaws," Dec. 5) for finally clarifying why pro-gunners are so vehement in opposition to limits on packing heat at will.
Gun-lobby rhetoric is awash in false patriotism and incorrect reading of constitutional principle, and Braico didn't spare us either. But in his rambling and parental letter taking Gov. Rendell to task for signing legislation enabling law enforcement to remove guns from domestic abusers, Braico defined what really motivates pro-gunners to fight against every limit on gun possession or use: emotion.
He wrote that emotion was key to "how much said firearms are valued" by their owners. So now we know. It's less about so-called rights, and more about the emotional attraction pro-gunners feel toward guns.
That would explain the irrationality in opposing, as Braico's organization did, requiring that handguns be childproofed in the future so kids can't unintentionally (or intentionally) fire them. And it would explain why it wants anyone to be able to carry concealed handguns in public.
What is really telling is how Braico makes clear that he and his ilk value guns over people, as his ire is directed not at gun-toting abusers who put women and children at risk, but at Rendell for signing legislation to protect those innocents.
Bryan Miller
Executive director
Ceasefire NJ
Trenton
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jersey/13402683.htm.
