THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 30, 1994 TAG: 9412290020
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
Oh, here's good news! The creation of a new breed of more destructive bullet. This time, the murderous product is called Rhino-ammo. It's being marketed under the repulsive slogan: Nothing stops a charging Rhino.
The Black Rhino version is said to render bulletproof vests obsolete. Another version is lauded by its inventor for making ``an incredible wound.''
Those peddling the bullets claim they will be sold only through licensed dealers for defensive purposes, to ward off criminal attack. Right. As everyone knows, once a weapon is manufactured, anyone who wants it can generally get it.
An earlier killer bullet, the Black Talon, was designed to rip flesh upon impact and sale was banned to everyone except law-enforcement personnel. But they, or knock-offs of them, are still available. And not just to cops. The Long Island Railway shooter who killed six and wounded 19 was firing Black Talons.
Now legislators promise to amend an inadequately drawn law banning cop-killer bullets to cover the sale of Rhino ammo. A hue and cry is inevitable on the part of Second Amendment enthusiasts who think the founding fathers favored a nation where anything that can shoot would be available to all comers even if the streets ran red with blood.
Such ammo is loathed by police who correctly view the bullets as aimed directly at them. Steps to ban are surely in order. The manufacturer has now said introduction of the product will be delayed. Forever would be best. But there should be no illusion that legislation alone can banish evil.
Those inclined to use weapons against their neighbors will always be able to lay their hands on them, increasingly destructive and technologically sophisticated weapons at that. The goal of the society should be to make people less inclined to use them. And there's not one simple solution to curbing the violence.
More police, swifter and surer justice, and harsh, reliable penalties are part of the answer. But so is a society that offers opportunity and rewards work, that discourages the smash-and-grab mentality and the living death of substance abuse.
Ultimately, it's the ideas that Americans are armed with that make them dangerous. We need to be intent upon creating a society that values thrift and self-reliance, education and honor, not one that glorifies violence and teaches that power, glamour and success accrue to those equipped with Black Talons or Black Rhinos. by CNB