Show Seek Gun Hearings In Western States I The three Republican members me members mem mem- m- m bers of the Utah Congressional delegation this week called for hearings in the west and preferably preferably prefer prefer- ably in Utah before Congress passes any restrictive ve gun control control control con con- legislation SEN WALLACE F. F Bennett Utah R-Utah and Reps Laurence J. J Burton Utah R-Utah R P. P Lloyd Utah R-Utah made the re request request request re- re quest of Sen Warren G. G Magnu- Magnu Magnuson son D chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee which will have final say on any gun bills in the Senate this year Over the few past years firearms ms con control t r 01 proposals have created considerable a amounts m 0 u n t s of con controversy t r 0 v e r s y throughout the country the three Republicans said in a joint letter to the chairman Consistently Consistently Con throughout the year we receive more mail on this subject subject subject sub sub- than perhaps any other single single sin sin- gle piece of legislation THEY DECLARED And between between be between be- be tween 95 to per cent of fth the letters received are against the Johnson Dodd-Johnson gun control bill bUI The three said We think that we should bring to the attention of the committee the fact that in Utah and the west live a very large majority of ot gun owners and law-abiding law citizens who purchase a weapon honorably honorably honorably honor honor- ably and in no way use it to I abuse either their constitutional right or their fellow Ameri Amen cans We feel that the Congress should receive the views of these citizens as well as the views already on the record of the proponents of the gun bills THEY SAID The problems of firearms misuse is more identified with the large cities in the east rather than the rural areas We fear that the present gun legislation has been in inspired inspired inspired in- in by conditions which exist for the most part in the big cit citIes cities cities cit cit- ies and of course this must be considered very carefully for it represents a major part of the problem However we are convinced that an I important segment of the gun owning public has been ignored ig ignored ignored ig- ig nored simply because hearings have not been held in the rural and outlying areas of ot the country where gun ownership is an altogether altogether alto alto- gether different matter than alto I it Is in our large states they wrote Man all wrapped up in self 0 0 make mighty small package Charles Charles Cunningham Cunningham Cunningham Cunning Cunning- ham Editor Natchitoches La Times The best advice for modern people young and old facing all sorts of propaganda is the single word think Joseph Joseph M. M Shaw Jr Centre Alabama Alabama Alabama Ala Ala- bama County Herald |