As the Sun's reader "polls" of the day ("What Maryland thinks," June 20) have no statistical validity whatsoever, I have tried to dismiss it as a safety valve for the tiny minority who are otherwise voiceless. However, when 497 responders think that Maryland should not ban people on federal terrorist watch lists from buying guns in our state, I am astounded and worried about their motivations.
I surmise that these 497 people have guns. Are any of them also on a federal terrorist watch list? Are they friends or family of someone so listed? Why else would they oppose the most minimal restraint on the purchase of guns, a restraint designed to protect us all from people already identified as potential threats?
Perhaps they fear this would be the "first step in taking away their guns," something that has not and won't happen. Even if they are caught breaking a relevant law, upon release and with a criminal record, they would be free to buy more guns from acquaintances or at gun shows to replenish their arsenals. On the other hand, I and many others have the right to peaceable and safe public assembly. We realistically fear the repeat of what has actually happened, horribly and repeatedly, and will continue to happen unless we begin to take sensible steps to keep guns out of hostile hands.
In view of the partisan inability of Congress to earn its keep by passing legislation that reflects the will of the majority of U.S. citizens even in the wake of atrocity, Maryland lawmakers should begin to defend our civil society under the rule of law by passing legislation with such a ban — immediately. Let's celebrate the Independence Day with a small incremental improvement in public safety.
Diana Schramm, Baltimore