Critique this letter to the editor

[seamusTX]

I don't know whether it was a coincidence that the articles "Looser gun laws a growing trend" and "Gun deaths tried to fray the thin blue line in '09" ran together in the Dec. 12 Daily News, or if some meaning was intended.

In the year 1968, every department and hardware store sold firearms. Most states required no background checks or prior approval. The next year, the Gun Control Act of 1968 took effect, and many states enacted stricter laws. By the 1980s, some cities had practically banned handgun ownership.

The rate of criminal homicide increased every year from 1968 until 1980, then declined below the 1968 level from 1997 onward. (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/t ... alstab.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

This trend had nothing to do with the law. Waiting periods and the "assault weapons ban" came and went. The number of people with concealed weapon permits went up steadily. Millions of firearms were sold into the civilian market.

Crime trends are functions of population demographics, the number of young men, poverty, unemployment, and education or lack thereof.

The death of police officers in the line of duty is tragic and regrettable, but these deaths are the actions of criminals who have committed multiple felonies simply by arming themselves. Most of these killers are previously convicted felons or teenage gang members who are prohibited from acquiring or possessing firearms. They have no respect for the law, and no law will deter them.

The largest number of police officers killed in the line of duty in the U.S. was around 280 in the early 1930s, during Prohibition (sources differ on the numbers for various years). The number of officers shot to death by criminals was 38 in 2008 and 47 in 2009 to date. More officers were killed in vehicle crashes, many involving drunk drivers.

http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fat ... /year.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.nleomf.org/facts/officer-fatalities-data/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I would support any law that increased public safety, but every act that results in a criminal homicide or drunk-driving death is already illegal and subject to felony penalties.

The subject articles are not available on the Daily News web site, AFAICT. They are AP articles.

- Jim

[Oldgringo]

suggestion in bold italics below:

...but nearly all of these these deaths are the actions of criminals...

explanation:

Some of the deaths in the line of duty are vehicle accidents and/or domestic dispute calls.

[ELB]

First thought: WRT to the argument in your letter about the law having little to do with the increase in violence: you may wish to buttress this by citing the 2003 review by the CDC, which evaluated the effectiveness of various types of gun control laws by reviewing 51 other studies on the subject. The CDC decided the evidence was "insufficient" to determine that any gun control law was effective.

They are quick to assert that this doesn't mean the laws are ineffective, just that they can 't find any evidence of it. However, given their previous efforts to make gun control a public health effort, it was an astounding admission to say the could not find any evidence that gun control is effective in controlling violence. (And yes I think the CDC is well outside its proper mission area when it is tramping around in gun control laws).

The source is here: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5214a2.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good luck with the letter. Well done.

[seamusTX]

Thank you, gentlemen.

With regard to police deaths in traffic crashes, some of them are just plain old accidents; but a remarkable number are drunks who run into cruisers that have another driver pulled over. Apparently said drunks focus on the blinking lights and then aim for them.

This kind of thing should be prosecuted as vehicular assault or homicide, as it frequently is.

- Jim

[ELB]

...some of them are just plain old accidents; but a remarkable number are drunks who run into cruisers that have another driver pulled over. Apparently said drunks focus on the blinking lights and then aim for them...

There are some studies and suggestions that red and blue (and sometimes white) flashing lights at accident scenes draw all drivers' eyes -- not just the drunks -- and what people look at, they tend to drive towards. I am sure that being drunk only makes it worse. I ran across an article from a senior state police officer in a northeastern state (New Jersey I think) who studied this issue, and based on it directed all their officers to switch to amber-only lights once they had someone pulled over. In the following year or two, the number of their officers killed by people driving into them was cut in half.

As a firefighter/first responder, I go to a few nighttime accidents, and I find it confusing when driving up on a scene with all these flashing lights -- it really distorts depth perception. If you were not careful (such as being intoxicated) I can see how one could simply drive into the scene. The county sheriff cars usually have the amber "traffic director" strips that can "arrow" right or left, and they are much easier to look at and decipher (when the deputies remember to use them) than all these fire trucks and ambulances with dozens of flashing red and blue and white lights.

[seamusTX]

It is disorienting. The contrast between the nighttime darkness and bright lights is difficult to overcome, and age does not improve that ability.

- Jim

[Liberty]

There was a memorial somewhere in Galveston listing law officers of the city that died in the line of duty. I don't have the numbers but for Galveston the cops were getting killed at a very alarming rate during the 50s. The families here were killing cops off like they were flies. I don't think there was any more lack of gun control in the 50s than in the 60s or 30s and 40s.
t

[iratollah]

Letter to the editor should be less than 250 words. Forget the web links. While I like to see citations in forum posts, the paper won't publish them in that form.

Don't say in twenty words what you can say in ten, i.e., you can drop the last six words from the following:
"I don't know whether it was a coincidence that the articles ... ran together in the Dec. 12 Daily News, or if some meaning was intended."

Not "In the year 1968" but "In 1968". We know you refer to a year, you MUST be more concise throughout the entire letter.

Get to your point more quickly. I like what you're trying to say but you really need to clean things up. You wanted a critique, I'd rewrite it and soon because the submittal must be timely. I don't think you'll get published in current form.

My $0.02 and free advice is worth what you pay for it.

[seamusTX]

Thank you, sir. You are correct. My only defense is having the flu and probably a fever.

Here we go again:

The Dec. 12 Daily News ran two articles, "Looser gun laws a growing trend" and "Gun deaths tried to fray the thin blue line in '09," on the same page.

Firearms laws and crime have little to do with one another. Criminals commit multiple felonies simply by arming themselves. Most killers of police officers are previously convicted felons or teenage gang members who are prohibited from acquiring or possessing firearms. They have no respect for the law, and no law deters them.

Before the Gun Control Act of 1968 took effect, firearms were freely sold with no background checks. That law and later laws made it more difficult to acquire weapons.

The rate of criminal homicide increased every year from 1968 until 1980, then declined below the 1968 level from 1997 onward.

This trend had nothing to do with the law. Waiting periods and the "assault weapons ban" came and went. The number of people with concealed weapon permits went up steadily. Millions of firearms were sold into the civilian market.

The Centers for Disease Control reviewed crime statistics and changes in weapons laws in 2003, concluding that no correlation could be found.

Crime trends are functions of population demographics: the number of young men, poverty, unemployment, and the quality of education.

That's a few more than 200 words.

- Jim

[The Annoyed Man]

The Government Model .45 1911 that my dad carried to Iwo Jima was purchased by him in a hardware store.

[seamusTX]

to your father.

I remember the pre-1968 days when Sears, Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney, etc. sold firearms. Marshall Field in Chicago had fine-looking and expensive big-game rifles, along with a miniature museum of taxidermy.

- Jim

[iratollah]

Here we go again:

Big improvement Jim. Now get it emailed ASAP with the salutation, "To the Editor:" at the top.

Hope you're feeling better.

'tollah

[seamusTX]

Thanks.

I know the routine. The editor reviews the LTE submissions in mid-morning. The paper has published many of my LTEs.

- Jim

[iratollah]

The paper has published many of my LTEs.

- Jim

Yeah, probably because they know that nobody reads the paper anymore.