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

DATE: MONDAY, February 1, 1993                   TAG: 9302010268
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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NO MORE SLAPS ON THE WRIST

WE ARE HEARING about and seeing more kids being shot by other kids who bring guns to school. Sometimes the shootings are deliberate; other times the shootings are called accidents. The cry increases to ban handguns, but this is not the answer to the problem.

First, people need to recognize that 99 percent of all shooting "accidents" are not accidents. The only time a shooting is an accident is when there is a mechanical failure of the weapon. Every other shooting of a firearm is a deliberate act, not an accident at all. Criminal proceedings should ensue after each and every violation of existing gun laws.

Second, penalties levied by our judicial system need to be dramatically increased. The old system of slapping the wrist and a token fine is not working!

Here are some ways to drastically reduce firearms abuse:

Hit violators where it hurts - in the wallet. The minimum fine imposed for the smallest firearms infraction should be $1,000.

Punitive measures for weapons violations should include, as a minimum, a lifetime ban on the ownership of any firearm.

Other judicial tools to be levied against violators could include lifetime bans on the right to vote, the purchase of hunting and/or fishing licenses, and the ability to collect unemployment insurance, and a lien against any income of more than $25,000 a year.

The problem with firearms abuse can be alleviated if only the proper tools are used and adhered to. Banning the use of firearms is not the answer; punishing those who break the law is.

DAVID L. SMITH\ SALEM

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