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    Senior Member AirborneSapper7's Avatar
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    Law enforcement questions gun limit effectiveness

    Law enforcement questions gun limit effectiveness

    By Lewiston Morning Tribune Staff
    December 26, 2012 8:05 am

    General manager Steve Alcairo holds a Winchester 1200 shotgun while being interviewed at High Bridge Arms Inc. in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

    Lewiston Morning Tribune
    - A recent school shooting apparently has Congress ready to discuss gun control, but local law enforcement officials question whether a regulatory response will help prevent such crimes.
    "I don't think tighter regulations on law-abiding citizens will have much impact on those who choose to commit acts of violence with firearms," said Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers. "There are a lot of influences that are leading our culture to become more violent. I'm certainly concerned about that, but I don't know that the answer is more regulations on guns. We have ample laws on the books today."

    Myers and Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins both intend to meet with local school officials next month to review safety plans. The move follows the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn., which left 20 elementary school children and seven adults dead, plus the shooter.

    "Whenever something like this occurs, we take the opportunity to look at the plans we have, the training we have, and make changes or improvements as necessary," Jenkins said. "We do have regular training to address active shooter situations, and we'll be meeting with (Pullman) school officials in January to go over our plans and make sure there are no gaps."

    Nevertheless, Jenkins thinks improved mental health services and other up-front preventative measures may be a more effective deterrent than increased gun control.
    "I'm not optimistic that new or additional regulations will have much effect on these types of events," he said. "Many of the (gun control) proposals we hear about wouldn't have impacted the recent shootings."

    The measures Congress will debate likely include banning assault rifles, prohibiting large-capacity ammunition clips and possibly imposing additional waiting periods on certain gun purchases.

    The shooter in the Newtown school case, however, used weapons that his mother had legally acquired. The handguns and rifles used in the July 20 theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., had also been purchased legally.

    "My guess is we could eliminate all guns in the United States and we would still have horrific crimes," Myers said. "As law enforcement officers, we deal with bad guys who have guns. I don't think any amount of laws is going to change that. I couldn't tell you how many people I've arrested the last 10 years who (legally) shouldn't have had guns, but who did. Regulations impact law-abiding folks more than they do the criminals."

    Latah County Prosecutor William Thompson Jr. said he has limited ability to address illegal gun possession cases, since most of those laws are federal, rather than state.
    "We can't handle it locally because it isn't a state law being violated," he said. "We're not having much success getting prosecution referrals accepted (for illegal guns or gun possession). The ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) is significantly short on manpower in our area."

    If the Idaho Legislature were to approve laws restricting gun ownership -- say, for people who have mental health issues or who have a history of domestic violence -- Thompson said it might give his office an opportunity to be more proactive.

    Overall, however, he agrees with Jenkins: Improved mental health services would probably be more effective than gun control in reducing gun violence.

    "We're seeing more and more people (with mental health issues), but the resources to deal with them aren't in place," Thompson said. "People are looking to the criminal justice system to take care of them, but it's a reactive system -- we react after something bad happens. That doesn't solve the problem. We need something at the front end to help individuals deal with their mental health needs."

    Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (20 791-9168.
    ___
    (c)2012 the Lewiston Tribune (Lewiston, Idaho)
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