Even though I am not a resident of Fargo, I have always admired Mayor Dennis Walaker's ability to react to tough situations with an air of calmness, which would tend to indicate an ability to digest a lot of information in a rational manner.
On Mayor Walaker's recent statements and action regarding guns, I must respectfully and strongly disagree.
No. 1. Automatic firearms have been outlawed since the National Firearms Act was passed in the 1930s. An automatic weapon is one which will fire all the cartridges in a magazine or a belt by keeping the trigger depressed. They can legally be purchased only by undergoing an extensive background investigation and buying quite an expensive special permit from the federal government.
How many fully (already illegal) automatic firearms do the Fargo police encounter each year?
No. 2. A semi-automatic weapon is one that self-loads after each individual depression of the trigger. Many sportsmen, my brother included, use semi-automatic centerfire rifles for hunting big game. I am considering one for my wife and me. Many sportsmen use semi-automatic shotguns for hunting upland fowl and waterfowl. It also includes semi-auto handguns ranging from the .22 plinkers to the venerable .45 Colt A.C.P. Also, semi-auto .22 rifles that are owned by numerous law-abiding citizens. The gun grabbers want this class of gun as well as pump shotguns and rifles.
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I believe crimes committed by guns purchased at gun shows are less than 1 percent, hardly a problem.
The mayors who are putting on the meeting are the ones trying to sue the legitimate gun manufacturers out of existence. They are financed by billionaire George Soros, who is the wealthiest anti-gunner in the world. He is also the financial backer of every prominent anti-gun Democrat, including Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich.; Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del.; and finally the King and Queen of the gun grabbers, New York Democrat Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton. These people will lie and do everything in their power to disarm the honest law-abiding American citizen.
The above group of people and the bleeding heart left-wing media will not tell you since the average law-abiding citizens in Great Britain and Australia have been disarmed, the crimes committed by gun-wielding criminals has increased drastically. Take a look at the murder rate of Washington, D.C., murder capital of the nation, where the citizens are disarmed, versus Vermont, where if you are not a felon you can carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
I would urge Walaker do some research before joining up with a bunch of left-wing gun-grabbers. If he insists on attending such a meeting, I would urge the city of Fargo not to fund that portion of the trip. It could be the beginning of a long slippery slope for Fargo and the law-abiding gun owner citizens of Fargo.
Schlagel, Valley City, N.D., is a gun owner, Vietnam era veteran and a member of the NRA. E-mail gschlagel@msn.com
