We now have another piece of legislation which neither addresses the underlying issues nor offers a solution to the problem. The shooting at Newtown, Conn. was mainly caused by careless handling of weapons, which allowed unauthorized access.

The permit process does not assess the common sense of the applicant and cannot protect the public against the lack of it. This is a commonsense issue, which will not be solved by a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. Criminals usually obtain weapons outside the system. Background checks are already performed before a person can obtain a permit to carry. Requiring background checks before ammunition purchases is expensive and time-consuming and could be avoided, if buyers presented their carry permits at the time of ammunition purchases.

This bill was conceived behind closed doors and rushed through the Assembly and Senate without adequate discussion. It is more political posturing for the purpose of gaining public approval than for genuine concern for public safety.

Mark R. Johnson

Antwerp

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