DEAR EDITOR:

In the wake of the Newtown shooting, gun control is not the answer.

In the history of man and gun, the gun has remained constant. Always at the mercy of man’s influence to launch its projectile at the intended target.

And as far as history is concerned, man has always determined the target, whether it’s lawfully, unlawfully, negligently, or recklessly.

To blame a gun for a man’s decision is to foolishly attribute free will to an inanimate object. The ability to carry or own a firearm is a right and not a commandment, and I respect the rights of any individual to choose not to carry or own a firearm.

I only ask that the same courtesy be granted to me when I choose to exercise my right to do so.

Al Capone proved that a Louisville Slugger made a good “assault weapon.” Ironically, what made Al Capone such a powerful mobster was the 18th Amendment and alcohol prohibition.

There is an old aphorism that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. Like alcohol, these co-called “assault weapons” are very popular and millions are sold every year.

If you ban them, like alcohol, people will buy them illegally on the black market.

We cannot ban something and hope the problem goes away.

We must look deeper and stop blaming and banning inanimate objects.

Never in the history of America has a ban on anything ever solved the problem.

We tried banning alcohol and the mobsters sold it on the black market. We tried to ban drugs and the street gangs sell it on the black market.

These so-called “assault weapons,” if banned, will likewise be sold on the black market.

Gun control will fail just as alcohol prohibition and drug prohibition has failed.

Joseph Ragsdale

Canton

Retired U.S. Air Force veteran