Letter to the editor: Gun control matter of safety

Your Dec. 19 editorial — "Gun control not answer to tragedy" — gives one view of a serious problem facing our country.

There are a lot of facts from various research projects and prestigious academic facilities that show that more guns equals more violence.

No one has advocated eliminating the Second Amendment. But there should be laws, such as background checks, types of guns, magazine capacity, types of ammunition and amounts plus liability insurance.

We register our cars and the government does not pick them up. Why should guns be different?

The National Rifle (Sales) Association says more guns are the answer. Studies show that a gun in the home is 22 times more likely to harm a family member than an intruder.

Approximately 1 million people have been killed in the U.S. by guns since 1968.

In 2009, the death rate by firearms as a percent, per 100,000 people:

• U.S. — 10.2
• Finland — 4.5
• Canada — 2.5
• United Kingdom — .25.

The death rate among U.S. children by firearms is 12 times higher than children in 25 other industrialized countries combined.

David Hemenway, director of Harvard Injury Control Research Center, says, "There is no evidence that having more guns reduces crime. None at all."

It is past time for us as a country to examine our situation the same as we would an engineering problem — study it and apply the solutions suggested by the study.

As in health care, there are a lot of working examples already out there.

Leon Logan

Tucumcari