Show -- 4L- " '1 V" " Standard-Examin- Opinion 1CA Saturday March 18 2000 er r 0S Standard-Examin- u l! er 11 & ni H H if ii SERVING THE TOP OF UTAH SINCE 1888 Scott Trumfla Publisher Don Porter Editorial Pago Editor Ron Thornburg Managing Editor ! PURVIEW H Gun dafoaie bacoming even more extreme Qirrton refuses to admit he’s not tough enough on criminals has resorted to absurd irresponsible attacks trying to shake loose more national debate funding from the Congress guns - its fires But he should acknowledge by the recent the fact that it is not only by ankilling of a - apparently about money if it was a priorother ity the government would be has not prompted anyone to doing more right now censeek the common-sens- e ter Given That does ' comSunday’s Vjnot however ments by both buttress the and the NRA The - the president of the United States and the executive vice president of contention by theNRA’s LaPierre that the president of this nation is sitting on his hands waiting -- or the National Rifle Associa“ tion the 'zJsr bechasm tween the extremes appears to be widening by implication hoping -for more deaths in an effort to promote his desire for stricter laws Such an acPresident Clinton accused cusation is disgraceful and the NRA of not wanting “to should be met with howls of have the real debate we protest from the NRA’s memshould be having in this coun- - bership that it hasn’t does not try about whether we can keep speak well for people who our kids safer’ view themselves as constitutionalists Accuse The NRA responded by the president of many things way of Wayne LaPierre its and you may be correct but executive vice president: saying he’s stockpiling school-“President Clinton is willing and work-plac- e killing to accept a certain level of kill-- yard itai ta his Uti his political mg to cal bank account is nothing his and vice president short of agenda sponsible and des-to- o That s an even more lu perate dicrous statement than the NRA’s mid-’9description of Since the massacre at Colofederal agents as “jack-boote- d rado’s Columbine High last thugs” - the statement that year the NRA has been President former prompted blocking legislation - which George Bush and other prompassed the Senate but remains inent NRA members to cancel mired in the House - to retheir memberships in protest quire background checks for gun sales at flea markets gun Clinton is wrong insofar as shows and via the Internet If his claim that the NRA such background checks are doesn’t care about keeping compulsory at gun shops they kids safe Of course it does ought to be mandatory wherbut it aims to do it by the ever guns are sold If the means of more guns and fewer NRA is really interested in laws not more laws and fewer keeping guns out of the hands guns of criminals the notion of gun-contr- ol law-abidi- ng t- - “’ 'tjw a m 0s Likewise the NRA’s LaPierre lurching out into la-l- a land by accusing the president of abiding murder and mayhem to win his argument is reprehensible At the root of this insulting exchange is the intransigence of the NRA and the president’s refusal to admit that too many felons are escaping prosecution for weapons violations - some 200000 potential gun purchases by criminals have been blocked due to background checks but few of those people have been prose- cuted In fact the president should be leaning on his attorney general to prosecute convicted felons who are illegally attempting to buy guns True it will take more money to hire more prosecutors to accomplish this and the president is broadening the background checks to include gun shows and the like shouldn’t be a bone of contention The NRA says it is holding out for “instant” checks and is not willing to accept those that may take longer than 24 hours But a day or two or three or four should be an acceptable inconvenience in order to keep criminals from purchasing guns If the NRA would relin- quish its indefensible position flea on the gun-sholoophole and if would administration the prosecute more of those criminals caught trying to illegally purchase guns America would be a safer place w mar-ketIntem- et Let’s hope both sides turn down the volume and get back to making real progress i |