The top officers with three of the county’s law enforcement agencies agree that new laws restricting assault weapons and high-capacity magazines would only impact law-abiding citizens. Warren …
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Sheriff, Police Chiefs Weigh In on Gun Debate
Posted
By Christopher Waltz, Record Editor
The top officers with three of the county’s law enforcement agencies agree that new laws restricting assault weapons and high-capacity magazines would only impact law-abiding citizens.Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison, Warrenton Police Chief Greg Houdyshell and Wright City Police Chief Doug Saulters all offered their opinions in the ongoing debate when contacted this week byThe Record.The three men all concurred that such measures would not prevent incidents like the recent shootings at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.Harrison, a 25-year veteran of law enforcement, said statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed no decrease in violent crimes involving firearms as a result of laws to ban or limit the sale and manufacture of certain firearms and accessories.“I’ve never seen evidence of the benefits of laws or restrictions in reducing violent crimes,” Harrison stated.“Evil people will do evil things,” he added. “It’s not right for someone to tell another person what they need to do to protect themselves.”He added that the term “assault weapon” is misunderstood and has been misconstrued.“An assault weapon is a military-grade weapon,” Harrison said, adding that restrictions already exist preventing the general public’s access to those types of firearms.What many people believe to be assault rifles actually are commercially available semi-automatic weapons with physical characteristics similar to those of military-issue assault rifles such as the M-16.Wright City Police Chief Doug Saulters offered a similar view.“There needs to be more discussion and planning with this,” he stated.“It’s a tough deal,” remarked Greg Houdyshell, Warrenton’s police chief. “Gun control has been tried, and it frightens me that we’re going to limit the number of weapons available to the good guys — law-abiding citizens.”Better Background ChecksSaulters advocated stronger background checks as one measure to address the issue.“It would be more tedious, but it’s something we’ll just have to go through to safeguard our citizens,” he commented. “I don’t think law-abiding citizens would be against that.”Education Is Key“I don’t think controlling guns is the answer,” Houdyshell toldThe Record. “Education for the general public about mental health issues and how to recognize the people with those issues is a big part of it.”Saulters expressed a similar opinion.“The problem we’re having is with individuals who have a mental health issue or who can’t own a gun,” Saulters remarked. “How do we keep weapons out of the hands of mentally disturbed individuals?”Houdyshell said Adam Lanza, the gunman who killed a total of 27 people in Newtown, Conn., before taking his own life last December, “clearly had some mental health issues. People around him ignored the signs.”He noted that Lanza’s first victim the day he carried out his attack was his mother.“Either she couldn’t recognize the signs or she chose not to recognize them,” Houdyshell stated.Education about the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses or conditions could have a positive impact on certain violent crimes and mass casualty incidents, which authorities define as incidents in which four or more people are killed.“There is no reason the general public can’t be educated by mental health care professionals about the signs and symptoms of mental illness so they can try to get those people some help,” Houdyshell stated.“There’s not an easy answer,” he added. “We’ve got to look at something, but I don’t think gun control is the answer.”“The common issue is we need to do more investigation into this issue,” Saulters remarked. “I don’t want to take anybody’s rights away.”“Criminals don’t follow the rules — the laws of the land or the rules of society,” Harrison said. “I respect people whose views are different from mine, and I’m willing to discuss possible solutions to the problem with all concerned stakeholders. I don’t favor any law or action to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.”
