ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 27, 1993                   TAG: 9301270322
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short


WHERE ARE PARENTS OF GUN-TOTING KIDS?

GUN CONTROL, gun control, gun control! Is that all this liberal, one-sided rag of a newspaper can print today?

Why are the real problems always ignored? All of this nonsense that Gov. Wilder is proposing about passing laws to limit Virginians to one-gun-a-month and passing more laws to make it illegal for children to possess guns. Maybe he should read the laws we already have! There already is a law against juveniles having handguns, so this is nothing new. Has it stopped the problem? Will another law do any more? Of course not - one law is enough.

Now, let's look at the real problem. Parents! Where are the parents of these children that are carrying guns to school in their book bags? Where are the parents when their child shoots another child in their home with their gun? Where are the parents of these kids that are being shot at 3 a.m. when making drug deals?

We have laws against all of this already and only the stupid would think another law will fix the problems. Maybe if parents are charged and put in jail for child neglect, they will start being parents and looking after their own kids instead of shoving their responsibility off on society and blaming everything else except themselves. RODNEY F. METHENY VINTON



by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB