Letter: Don't dump gun background checks
A man fires a handgun at Sandy Springs Gun Club and Range in Sandy Springs, Ga., on Jan. 4, 2013. Credit: AP
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is working on a gun bill that may not include a requirement for universal background checks when purchasing a gun.
A recent poll showed that approximately 90 percent of Americans support universal background checks. So why is it that our elected officials cannot vote either their conscience or what their constituents want on this issue? Are they so afraid of the gun lobby in Washington supporting a rival candidate in their next primary fight?
Maybe it's time for term limits for our congressional representatives, so that they can vote for what their constituents want during their final term without fear of reprisal. When close to 90 percent of the electorate cannot get what it wants in a bill, then how do we reconcile the idea of a democracy built on the foundation of "We the People"?
Tom Ghirardi, Islip
