Republican Senate Candidate Pat Toomey's Stance on Gun Control Has Some Reeling

Pat Toomey stands for less gun regulations. There were a few things that stood out about what he wants to change, but I would have to say the worst is the fact that he wants to reduce the waiting time for background checks for guns bought at gun shows to a mere one day. Pat Toomey also supported bills stop the ability to sue gun sellers for gun misuse. This just makes it all that much easier for people who should not have guns to get them. The latter part just gives shady gun dealers an out, a way to not have to own up to any responsibility for their actions for their practices. This also hurts the gun dealers who are on the up and up and follow all the laws to a tee because eventually people start seeing all the gun dealers as the same, which they definitely are not. I am not against guns legally purchased by law abiding citizens who have the right to own guns. I believe law abiding citizens should continue to have the right to protect oneself and their family. I also believe we have some pretty good gun control laws and if law enforcement had it just a little easier to enforce the ones we already have in place we would all be a little safer, especially here in Philadelphia. If things changed the way Pat Toomey wanted, law enforcement would have a harder time, as many criminals will slip through the cracks with such a short waiting period.

What Pat Toomey's Flippant Remark Was and How His Attitude Reflects Future Gun Violence in Philadelphia

The Inquirer Editorial Board reported* that when speaking in York last week, Pat Toomey was quoted as saying (his): "idea of gun control is steady aim," . This remark shows how casual his idea is about violence on the streets of Pennsylvania. As I stated in the beginning of this article, I live right in between two of the worst cities as far as gun violence in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Chester. These cities have long been known for the increasing gun violence. Upper Darby, just outside Philadelphia has had rising numbers in gun violence by people who also should not have been able to obtain a gun. In making gun laws slacker, even making fun of gun control makes our city more dangerous for families. If the person buying the gun was a law abiding respectful member of the community, why would they need a reduction in waiting periods? If the gun dealer was law abiding, why would they need the law to change so that there would be no ramifications by misuse of their license to sell guns? They wouldn't. The only people this would help would be criminals, and then in turn hurt families like my own.

There are many spots I cannot safely go with my son because in many cases it is innocent bystanders that are being injured and killed. I can't just rationalize anymore and say: "we are good people and no reason for anyone to have a problem with us." The reason for this is that there are so many criminals with guns and they just don't care who else is in the line of fire. It is not just criminals killing criminals anymore in drug deals gone bad or retaliation. It is children being shot because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is young mothers standing outside their own homes minding their own business. It is families like mine, who have nothing at all to do with criminal activities who are getting gunned down these days. As a matter of fact, the City of Chester had to declare a state of emergency this past July due to the outrageous amount of gun related injuries and deaths in just a matter of a week. They had to put a curfew in place from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, which within days was changed to 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. During this time, While taking my son to the doctor, we mistakenly got on the wrong bus and ended up dropped right in the middle of Chester. We were a couple hours away from the 6:00 PM curfew, but that certainly didn't make me or my son feel any safer. The City of Chester had been like a war zone, which is why the state of emergency was declared. One simple mistake could have ended very bad because of the amount of illegal guns on the street. With slacker laws, this will become even more of a problem.

How Gun Violence Can Be Reduced

Well, I am no expert, but I can say in my opinion, by not electing officials who make jokes about gun control. We need to elect someone who will enforce the gun laws we already have in place, not make fun of them. In making a wise crack like that, Pat Toomey showed me that my family certainly would be no safer with him elected. It would affect my family because as it is, with so many criminals having guns our freedom is restricted. Making it even easier for the criminals to get guns, our freedom will be restricted even further.

Op/Ed

*Posted by Inquirer Editorial Board "Where bullets fly, Toomey's quip isn't that funny" Philly.com