Editor: Some people seem confused about whether or not Sheriff Kilgore had a right to inform Vice President Biden in his letter, "As such, the Humbodlt County Sheriff's Office in Nevada will use my discretion and not enforce any new gun laws that may appear unconstitutional." The truth is, Sheriff Kilgore does have that right, and the Supreme Court said so. In 1994, the Brady Bill was passed. The effect of this law was that the federal government forced each sheriff to promote gun control within their jurisdictions, even though the U.S. Constitution guarantees that "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." At this time, seven sheriffs filed a lawsuit against the United States to stop the Brady Bill. Two of them ended up at the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 27, 1997, the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Mack/Prinz v U.S., that the Brady Bill was unconstitutional and that the federal government could not force state or county officers to do their bidding.
So indeed, Sheriff Kilgore was within his rights, and I believe within his responsibility, to so address the vice president. I support Sheriff Kilgore's stand.
Gun control laws are generally ineffective because criminals don't obey laws. There are many laws on the books about guns. Do we see violence declining with them? No. However, evidence suggests that, "Allowing citizens to carry concealed handguns reduces violent crimes. States that ban the concealed carrying of guns have murder rates 127 percent higher than states with the most liberal concealed-carry laws" (quote by John R. Lott, Jr. in the book "More Guns, Less Crime").
The real problem that needs to be addressed is, as Sheriff Kilgore said in his letter, "There needs to be a concerted effort towards the mental health topic as it relates to firearms." I believe it goes far beyond firearms. Tragically, on the same day as the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings, in China 22 children in a primary school were attacked by a man with a knife; body parts were severed and children will be maimed for life. It is suspected that the man is mentally ill. The knives and guns were tools in the perpetrators hands in the two mentioned tragedies. It could have been any "tool" that could have caused harm. But mentally ill people were wielding them -people who needed help before the events happened. My heart and prayers go out to those who have been hurt by these events.
Still, the founding fathers knew what it was like to be under an oppressive government; they lived it. They made sure that one of the principle rights given to citizens was the ability to protect themselves from that oppression. Yes, with that right, bad things can happen. But it is at times like these that demand the same wisdom that the founding fathers used - let true principles govern our thoughts and actions. Sheriff Kilgore has done this.
Tammy Munk Winnemucca[[In-content Ad]]
