Letters: Fund gun safety, not gun control

Regarding “Cops: Teen killed as he, friend examine gun” [News, March 19], my heart goes out to the victim’s family and friends that suffered this unnecessary, tragic loss. It may have been avoided if New York State put more emphasis on gun safety rather than divisive gun control.

The article misleads the readers by referring to the 18-year-old as the legal owner of the gun. In New York, a handgun owner must be 21 or older unless he or she is a member of the armed services or law enforcement.

New York’s gun control laws were built from the ground up to selectively impose extreme restrictions on lawful gun ownership rather than promote safety. The Sullivan Act of 1911 gave police discretion over who was issued a handgun, and many believe it was implemented to discriminate against minorities and immigrants.

Little has changed. Annually, millions of taxpayer dollars go to the implementation and enforcement of gun control laws that do nothing more than harass and burden lawful gun owners. Those tax dollars should go instead into National Rifle Association-recommended gun safety programs and the enforcement of existing criminal laws. Then we would very likely see tragedies like this diminish.

Vincent Cristiano, Ronkonkoma

Editor’s note: The writer is a member of the Nation Rifle Association, Long Island Firearms, New York State Concealed Carry Advocacy Group and the Second Amendment Foundation.