Dear Editor:

Let me tell you a few truths that are missing in our gun debate.

Truth 1: The NRA does not give a fig about the Second Amendment. Let’s make no mistake about it. The NRA is the lobbing arm on gun manufacturers, dealers and traffickers. All they care about is selling as many guns as possible, no matter to whom.

Truth 2: Do not believe the NRA statistics. They have the bad habit of taking a very small sample and then extrapolating it to the whole country. They want to scare you into buying more guns. You do not need to own an arsenal for your defense. You have about the same chance of getting killed by a gun as you have of dying in a car accident. Still, you do not see too many people driving around in armored cars.

Truth 3: State lines do not stop guns. Guns have legs, also known as straw buyers, unethical gun dealers and gun traffickers. A large percentage all the guns used to commit crimes in Chicago come from bordering states, such as Indiana, where the gun laws are lax. Most of the gun crime committed in Indiana is with guns purchased in the state. Since Virginia has repealed the “one gun a month” law, it has become the largest supplier of guns to New York City. I may be wrong, but it is quite apparent to me that only gun traffickers need to buy more than one gun a month.

Nobody wants to take guns from responsible gun owners. I think there is a consensus among reasonable people, including the majority of gun owners, that something needs and can be done to keep the guns from people who are not supposed to have them. People of good faith would agree that, in order to be effective, there is the need for a federal licensing system that covers all purchases, including those in gun show and private sales. Gun dealers who break the rules should have their license lifted. Also, we need to pass a federal “one gun a month” law, and send both straw buyers and gun traffickers to jail.

Jane Robson

Boothbay