By Ben Waxman
Philadelphia Daily News, 10/24/07

I went to college about four hours west of Philadelphia in a very rural area.

I knew many kids who hunted and owned guns. Now that I live in Philadelphia, I'm puzzled by the way politicians and the media treat the issue of gun control. The perspective of the average gun owner seems completely missing from the debate.

Last week, John C. Sigle, the president of the National Rifle Association, came to the Philadelphia area to denounce the renewed push for legislation to limit the number of guns an individual can purchase to one a month. According to Sigle, laws limiting gun purchases would negatively affect lawful gun owners.

Sigle claims to speak for all gun owners, but he is grossly exaggerating the impact of gun control on law-abiding citizens. My friends who hunted almost never mentioned gun control, gun laws or anything else connected to the debate on increased restrictions for firearms. The majority of gun owners simply don't follow the politics of gun control.

Here's a little secret the NRA doesn't want you to know: Most gun owners are almost never inconvenienced by gun laws. That's because most people who buy guns do not do it on a whim. A waiting period or one gun a month is only a problem for people who want a gun immediately.

There is one group of people who will be affected by the laws - those who live in neighborhoods wracked by gun violence. The easy availability of guns is clearly a major part of the problem. More enforcement can help, but we absolutely need stricter laws, too.

The best way to build support for these changes is to tell people in other parts of the state what's happening in Philadelphia. Until recently, we've been on pace to set an all-time record for murders in a single year. Mothers have lost sons, brothers have lost sisters, neighborhoods are filled with makeshift memorials. Setting aside all the rhetoric from both sides, it's a human tragedy of epic proportions.

Gun owners will respond to these stories, and we might have a chance at convincing them that they should help. The most important thing is to connect with people across the state and generate popular support for the restrictions on guns that we so desperately need to save lives now. Sadly, the human element is often lost because shrill voices dominate the debate.

A few weeks ago, the state gun-registration system was down for about a day for a software update. The NRA crowd in Harrisburg went berserk. Senate President pro tem Joseph Scarnati, a Republican from Jefferson County, actually said it was a "liberal plot from Philadelphia" to keep people from buying guns. Thankfully, Gov. Rendell refused to bow to the pressure and the update went ahead as scheduled.

There was an interesting story a few days later in the Inquirer. A reporter went to a gun shop and interviewed a few regulars. The majority basically said it was no big deal. So why do Republicans in Harrisburg spend so much time blocking gun control?

Like most things, it's about the money. The NRA gave more than $15,000 to various candidates, mostly Republicans, during the last election. Their lobbyists get paid to advance the most extreme position, not represent the views of average gun owners. As long as this NRA charade continues, there will be little progress toward stopping the flow of illegal guns in Philadelphia.

Guns simply are not the centerpiece of most gun owners' lives. The small inconveniences associated with increased gun control, like waiting periods or one gun a month, won't mean much to the average person. The NRA's screams against any form of gun control are just silly. *

Ben Waxman, a recent graduate of Juniata College, is a frequent contributor. He can be reached at benwaxman@gmail.com.