USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- The recent horrendous assault on Paul Pelosi by a hammer-wielding intruder has convinced me, a former public official and loyal American, that our country is sorely in need of action regarding a serious issue. In significance, this issue supersedes such minor matters as world peace, national defense, threats from China, North Korea, and Iran, the economy, and many other health, safety, and quality of life issues facing all Americans.
The issue of concern is HAMMER CONTROL. Our elected officials have been completely neglectful in their failure to address this.
As of now, hammers proliferate in our society. They are available everywhere. They can be stolen, borrowed, fortuitously found, inherited, and of course, initially purchased. Hammers are used on a regular basis by people of all genders and ages in their occupations, homes, hobbies, and leisure activities. Anyone can buy one!?
In order to purchase a hammer, there is no background check, there is no waiting period, and there is no recording of the purchase. There is no requirement that hammers be registered or placed in a secure, locked facility so that children cannot access them easily. They can be carried concealed. In the Pelosi drama, whoever bought the hammer did not have to meet any standards [training] before or after purchase, but it appeared, nevertheless, ready to commit mayhem.
The hammer is a deadly weapon; it is an assault weapon. The San Francisco district attorney has charged the perpetrator who used the hammer thus: “assault with a deadly weapon. “
The major challenge with hammer control is that only outlaws will have hammers if hammers are outlawed. Nevertheless, it is obvious from this ruthless attack on Paul Pelosi that our Congress may have been criminally negligent in not addressing the issue. With all the subpoenas the present Congress has issued, and all the hearings it has held, not one bit of attention has been given to hammer control. Understandably, the time and efforts of the current Congress devoted to investigations have justified ignoring the minor issues previously mentioned (defense, economy, etc.), but they are totally blameworthy in the matter of hammer control.
In addition to hammer control, there should be legislation holding manufacturers of hammers liable for any damages caused by injuries associated with the ilegal use of a hammer. After all, the makers of a “deadly weapon” have intentionally placed it into the stream of commerce.
Let us hope in the near future that the Congress, which has been so fruitful in bettering our lives by, let me think … well, there must be something … will soon address the issue of hammer control.
Remember, people do not kill people, hammers kill people.
~ E. Dennis Brod
President
Ethical Pragmatism Institute