Pubdate: Thu, 05 Jul 2012 Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL) Copyright: 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/5QwXAJWY Website: http://www.suntimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/81 Author: James E. Gierach TO STOP KILLINGS, TAKE PROFIT OUT OF GUNS Letters to the Editor July 5, 2012 Yes, gun control is no joke [Chicago Sun-Times, editorial, July 3], with Chicago kids dropping like flies in some city neighborhoods especially on weekends. Exhibit A last weekend: Nine people shot dead and 22 wounded. But with an estimated 200 million guns in private hands, the United States needs to take the profit out of drugs more than guns out of the hands of citizens to stop the killing. And selling gun-buyback programs as a violence solution is like selling lead life preservers to the drowning. Buying back a handful of guns to stop the violence pales in the face of facts like Smith & Wesson sales and profits jumping in the fourth quarter on strong demand for guns, with the stock up 58 percent on improving gun sales. Drug-policy reform that takes the profit out of drugs takes away the business reason that kids are armed and need guns in the first place. Without a business reason to shoot, fewer guns will be found in the hands of kids. James E. Gierach, Palos Park - --- MAP posted-by: Matt