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Member
Duluth News-Tribune
January 26, 2003 Sunday
SECTION: LOC
LENGTH: 553 words
HEADLINE: Duluth leaders speak against liberalizing handgun laws;
PUBLIC SAFETY:Group gathers support against a bill that would allow anyone who passes a criminal background check to carry a concealed firearm.
BYLINE: BY MARK STODGHILL; NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
BODY:
This was more than preaching to the choir.
This was preaching to the preachers.
The Northland Chapter of the Million Mom March invited seven Duluth leaders to speak about the possible implications of making handguns more available to the public and the Moms heard exactly what they've been espousing themselves: More guns in the hands of the public is not a good idea. That was the message presented Saturday at Peace United Church of Christ to about 80 people by Duluth Mayor Gary Doty, Interim Duluth Police Chief Bob Grytdahl, St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman, St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Chief Executive Officer Peter Person, Assistant City Attorney Cynthia Albright, the Rev. John Sipola and State Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon.
The Million Mom March is "committed to the prevention of gun death and injury and to support victims and survivors of gun trauma," according to their bylaws.
The group hosted the meeting to mobilize and gather support to lobby against proposed state legislation that would require county sheriffs and police chiefs to issue a concealed firearms permit to anyone who applies for one and is cleared after a criminal background check.
"In its simplest form, more guns and more people out in public really raise an opportunity for increased violence," Grytdahl said. "Angry bullets oftentimes turn into deaths and tragedies. It's harder to take an angry bullet back than it is an angry punch or an angry word."
The law allows the sheriffs and police chiefs to decide who can carry a gun and they issue them for occupational reasons -- such as carrying large sums of money or valuables on the job, or if they determine a person has the right to carry for personal safety reasons.
The meeting was informational only. It was not a debate and those who support liberalizing the law were not allowed to question panel members.
Lt. John Hall, head of the Duluth Police Department detective bureau, believes chiefs and sheriffs have abused their discretion and they've substituted their own biases rather than following the spirit of the law.
"The Constitution never contemplated that the government got to decide what the right reason might be for a citizen to bear arms," Hall said. "I think most citizens agree the drunkard, the spousal abuser, the guy with the aluminum foil hat to keep radio waves out, should not be carrying firearms. Unfortunately, the chiefs and sheriffs didn't rely on a reason. They just said, no. 'Why not? Because I said so.' That is why we are in this pickle now."
Person said his SMDC board unanimously voted at its last meeting to oppose any liberalization of handgun permit laws.
Person said the estimated cost of firearm-related injuries in the United States is $110 billion a year, about $25,000 per incident. The toll it takes on victims' families and to those who deal with patients on a personal basis can't be calculated, he said.
"Our concern is that if we arm the public, the amount of risk and the amount of danger that we're going to put our health care providers in is just going to escalate," Person said. "It won't be long and you will be having to go through metal detectors to get into hospitals, metal detectors to get into emergency rooms because of the well-known shootings that have occurred across the country."
January 26, 2003 Sunday
SECTION: LOC
LENGTH: 553 words
HEADLINE: Duluth leaders speak against liberalizing handgun laws;
PUBLIC SAFETY:Group gathers support against a bill that would allow anyone who passes a criminal background check to carry a concealed firearm.
BYLINE: BY MARK STODGHILL; NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
BODY:
This was more than preaching to the choir.
This was preaching to the preachers.
The Northland Chapter of the Million Mom March invited seven Duluth leaders to speak about the possible implications of making handguns more available to the public and the Moms heard exactly what they've been espousing themselves: More guns in the hands of the public is not a good idea. That was the message presented Saturday at Peace United Church of Christ to about 80 people by Duluth Mayor Gary Doty, Interim Duluth Police Chief Bob Grytdahl, St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman, St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Chief Executive Officer Peter Person, Assistant City Attorney Cynthia Albright, the Rev. John Sipola and State Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon.
The Million Mom March is "committed to the prevention of gun death and injury and to support victims and survivors of gun trauma," according to their bylaws.
The group hosted the meeting to mobilize and gather support to lobby against proposed state legislation that would require county sheriffs and police chiefs to issue a concealed firearms permit to anyone who applies for one and is cleared after a criminal background check.
"In its simplest form, more guns and more people out in public really raise an opportunity for increased violence," Grytdahl said. "Angry bullets oftentimes turn into deaths and tragedies. It's harder to take an angry bullet back than it is an angry punch or an angry word."
The law allows the sheriffs and police chiefs to decide who can carry a gun and they issue them for occupational reasons -- such as carrying large sums of money or valuables on the job, or if they determine a person has the right to carry for personal safety reasons.
The meeting was informational only. It was not a debate and those who support liberalizing the law were not allowed to question panel members.
Lt. John Hall, head of the Duluth Police Department detective bureau, believes chiefs and sheriffs have abused their discretion and they've substituted their own biases rather than following the spirit of the law.
"The Constitution never contemplated that the government got to decide what the right reason might be for a citizen to bear arms," Hall said. "I think most citizens agree the drunkard, the spousal abuser, the guy with the aluminum foil hat to keep radio waves out, should not be carrying firearms. Unfortunately, the chiefs and sheriffs didn't rely on a reason. They just said, no. 'Why not? Because I said so.' That is why we are in this pickle now."
Person said his SMDC board unanimously voted at its last meeting to oppose any liberalization of handgun permit laws.
Person said the estimated cost of firearm-related injuries in the United States is $110 billion a year, about $25,000 per incident. The toll it takes on victims' families and to those who deal with patients on a personal basis can't be calculated, he said.
"Our concern is that if we arm the public, the amount of risk and the amount of danger that we're going to put our health care providers in is just going to escalate," Person said. "It won't be long and you will be having to go through metal detectors to get into hospitals, metal detectors to get into emergency rooms because of the well-known shootings that have occurred across the country."
