Guns Played Main Role in Littleton Tragedy

To the editors:

In response to the editorial dissent, "Guns Aren't the Problem" (Opinion, April 26) by Noah Oppenheim and Adam Taub, I encourage both of them to read the "Living Through Littleton" editorial more closely. They claim that the staff makes "vague, blanket demands." On the contrary, the staff specifically argues against gun control laws in Colorado and other states from being loosened or revoked, and against the NRA campaign for gun concealment. Oppenheim and Taub also write, "concerned citizens ought to look deeper and discern the less obvious forces". If the two editors look carefully, they will notice that the editorial asserts, "these tragedies are the result of severe emotional distress among teens with access to guns." As a group of concerned citizens, the Crimson Staff exposes declining access to mental support as one of those "less obvious forces" involved in Littleton. While Oppenheim and Taub are correct that blaming only guns is insufficient, they still must recognize the tremendous role guns play in tragedies like Littleton.

Every day, 94 people die of gunshot wounds, and 12 of them are under 20 years old. 90 percent of children in shootings involved a weapon found in the home. One in four American homes have a gun. And as a study released Monday shows, 59 percent of gun owners do not checking their guns daily, with 17 percent of them not checking the guns for over a month. Since parents don't watch over their guns very well, the data suggest stricter laws will reduce kids' access to guns, reduce the number of kids who use guns and ultimately save lives. I encourage Oppenheim and Taub not to fall back on standard pro-gun rhetoric, detach from emotion and look at the facts and, as concerned citizens, recognize that fewer guns are better for America.