In the wake of the horrifying massacre at Columbine High School, the nation’s attention once again has turned to our porous and ineffective gun laws. President Bill Clinton has responded by proposing a crazy quilt of reforms, most of them recycled from earlier initiatives and all aimed at buyers and sellers of firearms.
There are several fine ideas in the president’s package, including tougher restrictions on gun shows, but it is more notable for what it lacks. Firearms manufacturers are untouched by the suggested changes in the law. We cannot truly grapple with our nation’s gun violence epidemic until this rapacious industry’s irresponsible behavior is brought under control.
