A Look At Both Sides Of The Gun Debate
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - In the wake of national shootings such as the Newtown, Conn. school shooting and the Aurora, Colo. movie theater shooting, the debate on gun control is forefront in America.
Both sides are passionate about their views, leading to spirited debate about the 2nd Amendment and the creation of a special council by President Barack Obama that is looking at changing current gun control laws.
Locally, both gun owners and gun control advocates have drawn their lines in the sand and KDKA AM's Larry and John spend two segments talking to both sides.
On the gun control side is Mary Beth Hacke, the mother of shooting victim Ryan Hacke, who was 14 months old when an errant bullet killed him in his car seat. She is also a member Cease Fire PA, a gun control group in Pennsylvania. She wants some sort of gun control and an end to citizens owning assault weapons.
"There is a need for a universal background check," says Hacke. "Common sense needs to be taken to fight gun violence."
On the other side of the argument is Kim Stolfer, Chairman of Firearms Owners Against Crime (PA), Chairman of the Allegheny County Sportsman League, an NRA Training Counselor and Chairman of the Pennsylvania Sportsmen's Association's Legislative Committee.
He believes the gun debate has been co-opted by people who want to take away assault type weapons and that gun measures in the past have failed.
"That is ridiculous political pandering to segment of society that doesn't know the difference," says Stolfer. "Every single gun control measure proposed since 1967 has failed. They have failed so miserably that people in America have been killed by them."
Somewhere between the two is the middle. Take a listen and see what you think.
Mary Beth Hacke-
Kim Stolfer-
