I am writing regarding the recent gun control efforts by certain members of Congress, the president, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, two New York state senators and others.

It is my considered opinion that gun control — meaning abrogating the constitutional right of the common, law-abiding citizen to arm himself for lawful reasons — is not the answer to lessening gun-induced fatalities and violence. Most gun-related crimes are committed by criminals and mentally ill individuals. Therefore, it would seem to me that the focus in any attempt to reduce gun crimes should be 1) to enact severe penalties for perpetrators who use guns in the commission of any type of crime, and 2) to create a fair and legal mechanism whereby disturbed and mentally ill persons are denied easy access to firearms.

There are no measures that can totally eliminate gun injuries or fatalities, but addressing these two issues would go a long way in reducing them, I believe.

When confronting emotional political issues we sometimes forget out friends. I wish to publicly express my appreciation to Rep. Bill Owens, state Sen. Patty Ritchie, Assemblywoman Addie Russell and the Jefferson County Legislature, all of whom have shown steadfast and unwavering support for the Bill of Rights and in particular the Second Amendment.

Leland K. Russell

Evans Mills

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer