Pat Shea (in the Orrin Hatch/Shea senatorial campaign debate Sept. 18) held up a "Tech 9" assault-type handgun that he said had been confiscated last week from a youth right here in Salt Lake City.
The point he tried to make was: Such semiautomatic guns should be banned. The obvious point he unintentionally made was: Gun-ban laws don't work against lawbreakers.This particular youth violated laws by his obtaining it (you must be 21 to buy any firearm); his possessing it (he's under age) his concealing it (without a concealed-weapon permit); and any use he'd make with it would be illegal.
Senate hopeful Pat Shea held up and pointed the ominous, exotic, military-designed handgun toward his audience (a "no no" among responsible gun handlers) and inserted a 32-bullet capacity clip into the "evil" appearing handgun.
No one in the audience - not even Pat's opponents - flinched, ducked or ran. No one appeared the least bit threatened. Let's just suppose Charles Manson (who, thank goodness, is still in prison) and Damon Williams (who bashed Reginald Denny's head in with a brick) and the Long Island subway gunman Colin Ferguson were all standing next to Pat and his "evil" gun.
Then suppose anyone of these three criminals grabs the loaded gun from Shea. Now try to imagine what the audience, TV crew, along with Pat Shea, would suddenly be doing. All would be crawling or running for the nearest exit.
These gun banners just don't get it. It runs counter to their irrational liberal agenda. Let me put it simply for all well-meaning gun-control advocates - "It's not the gun, it's the caliber of guy holding the gun that determines threat."
Criminals, not guns, commit crimes. Ban criminals, not guns. The "evil" is when Congress bans responsible law-abiding citizens from their constitutional right of gun ownership.
Dave Scott
Sandy