The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 02, 1975, Page Page 19, Image 21
EARN $50.00
AN HOUR SEL-LING
CHEMICAL LIGHT STICKS
The amazing inven
tion that provides a
brillant beam of
light which lasts for
hours without bat
teries or flame.
Send $1.50 for
sample and details
to:
PEQUOD PPODUCTS
DEPT. %6
343 EASrfAFTH STREET
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10003
"I ain't nothing
but a inner.
M 1M
WHERE PAPE ARE 80L
START&
TOVORROW
THE GOMv1EDY THAT
PROVES PEOPLE
ARE STILLTHE
FUNNIESTANIMALS
T HE ELY LAMOA OR.NATO, NI. )
GENE WILDER
.KAREN BLACK
EUIGENE KNESXYS
I"Rhinceros"
STARTS FRIDAY!
Late Show Fri ,& Sat.
Kurt Vonnegut's
"SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5"
A M. *5 5
Letters to
Gun control
alternative
TO THE EDITOR:
The editorial by Steve Valk in
The Gamecock of September 25,
1975, reminded me of the old
joke about killing the fly with
the sledgehammer.
I'm not saying that there isn't
a serious crime problem in the
country, and the recent at
tempts on the life of the
President are certainly
outrageous acts, but the con
fiscation of all handguns, as
proposed in the editorial, would
do nothing to alleviate the
problem, and would in fact
create a greater one. The
implication of the editorial is
that the handgun can only do
evil, but that is not the case.
Handguns can do, nothing
without someone to pull the
trigger.
I can't help thinking that
other measures might be more
productive in helping to solve
the problem. An example of
what I consider to be sensible
and practical in this area is the
legislation proposed by
President Ford himself, calling
for mandatory prison terms for
persons convicted of com
mitting crimes with firearms. I
don't think that he, even after
1417 Ma.n Stre.t
phone 254-5800
P IU'
the editor
this month's events, advocates
the extreme measures outlined
by Valk.
It is argued by anti-gun
control advocates that the
banning of handguns would only
take theni out of the hands of
law-abiding citizens, and have
no great effect on the criminal
quarter of our society. I agree
with this completely. There is
no reason to think that a
measure such as confiscation
could be any more effective or
enforceable than the present
marijuana laws, to which Valk
alluded in his editorial. By the
way, his statement that
marijuana has yet to be proven
harmful is unrealistic. .
If we are to consider banning
handguns in this nation, we
must look at what has happened
in other nations that have un
dertaken similar programs.
The obvious example, I think, is
Great Britain, which is famous
for its weaponless "bobbies".
Rather than analyze the
situation in that country myself,
I will quote a statement made
by Superintendent Colin
Greenwood of the West
Yorkshire Constabulary in his
book, Firearms Control. In the
book, he points out that "half a
century of strict contfols on
pistols has ended, perversely,
with a far greater use of this
M
class of weapon in crime than
ever before. Attempting to deal
with the criminal use of
firearms by placing more
restrictions on legitimate users
is not likely to achieve
anything."
Finally, I would venture to
say that the swift trial, con
viction and (ideally) the
execution of both Miss Fromme
and Mrs. Moore might do more
to discourage future
assassination attempts than the
production of reams of paper
drenched in useless and
perhaps dangerous legislation.
GEORGE E. STUART IV
Another solution
to gun control
TO THE EDITOR:
Before Mr. Valk assigns
handguns too much of the blame
for the deaths of the Kennedys,
or the attempts on the lives of
President Ford and George
Wallace, we should be aware of
somewhat more correlative
factors.
Lee Harvey Oswald's Soviet
travels in the intense cold-war
period was only possible
because he was an American
double agent. The fatal bullet in
the Robert Kennedy slaying
LIVE!ON
THE COMPLETE THEA1
Direct fror
AND-REw W L LOYD W,E.
COMPANY OF 50
INCLUDING FULL
ORCHESTRA & CHOIRio
'SUPERSTAR' HAS A BOUNCE AN
MONUMENTALLY INGENIOUS STAGI
ENGLISH MUSICAL IN YEARS."
Broadway combines Rock
"SPECTACLE" that'll Blow
THURSDAY, OC1OBER 1i
'IDWNSHIP AUDITORIUM 1
Pharmacy Parkland Phi
Auditorium Box Office
For Mckets and Information
Productions, Inc. One Day 0
The year
a future you'll prc
[an ft ratedatek
LO/Jaf..,.....A BC
.-DOJN JOHN4SON~ - SUSANM
--------,J O ROBN
HELD 2ND BIG
OVER!.
came not from Sirham's pistol,
but someone else at point-blank
range-a Secret Service agent?
Arthur Bremer trailed the
leading Democratic primary
contenders for weeks, living
quite well on thin air. Ms.
Moore was a paid FBI informer
at the time she fired on her
ultimate employer. James Earl
Ray, a rifleman, has been held
incommunicado since his
capture, and denied a new trial
on suppression ofs evidence and
coerced confession. Jack Ruby
was an FBI informer.
We are not talking about nuts
with handguns. We are talking
about paid killers, paid suckers,
and frustrated pawns of a
police-state bureaucracy that
runs the day-to-day business of
trying to make us all into good
little slaves. Anyone who
doesn't have an unrecorded gun
is unrealistic, or doesn't care as
much about preserving his
freedom and dignity as our
sniveling, mosquito govern
ment cares about sucking us
dry. The real causes of
"crime" are laws which should
not exist, opportunities that do
not exist, and tax dollars that
reward communities for failing
to correct these failings.
LEE MULLER
ISTAGE'
'RICAL PRODUCTO
ri New York
IST
"'JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR'
IS A TRIUMPH '
0 EXALTATION ... VITALITY....
NG. THE BEST SCORE FOR AN
-ch P lnapr.~ V I t IP,
and the Gospel into a
you Away
i - 8PM OLUMIA
AYLOR ST. Taylor St.
rmacy-(Cayce City)
- Cal 252530 Mar-in
is 2O24
'bably live to see.
nkytae f uival
Y AND HIS D)OG'
JE BENTON..,.ALVY MOORE
Technicolor~ [e
WEEK! A: 2:40
I :0-6:05
-fl-S-9:30