A recent letter in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript (“A proposal for gun control,” Rick Fecowicz, June 7) laid out a simple and reasonable proposal to stanch the flow of blood across our nation caused by guns. Register guns as we register our cars. Require background checks and waiting periods. Ban assault weapons and high caliber magazines.
In the same edition, the writer of the Viewpoint column (“My father’s generous friend and asking too much,” Joseph Steinfield) described how he was introduced to guns, a shotgun and a Winchester rifle, by a friend of his father. His childhood memories did not include debates about constitutional rights or about “active shooters.” He knew of kids who died from illness or auto accidents, but none from bullets.
The time of his youth was a period when smoking was widespread in America. Cigarettes were advertised aggressively. In January 1964, a report issued by the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that cigarette smoking was a cause of lung cancer and a host of other diseases. News services spread the word. In response, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company launched an advertising campaign for its Camel cigarette brand, with the slogan “More Doctors Smoke Camels.” Simply put, change occurred in America’s smoking culture when facts replaced fiction. The percentage of Americans who smoke dropped from 42% in 1964 to 18% today. A recent report estimates that the decline in smoking prevented 8 million deaths since 1964. The effort to inform and persuade the public that smoking is bad for one’s health continues to this day.
There are facts overwhelmingly showing the disastrous impact guns have on the health of our nation. We brought a semblance of sanity to smoking cigarettes. Can we do the same with owning guns?
Ronald Cheney
Francestown