To the Editor: Coleman’s plan would not stem gun violence

The following letter to the editor of the Columbus Dispatch was published on Sunday, August 25:

In his recent interview with WBNS-TV (Channel 10), Mayor Michael B. Coleman illustrated what is wrong with his position on gun control when he lamented seeing "an AK-47 being used in our city against police."

Fully automatic AK-47 machine guns are heavily regulated by the federal government, requiring any prospective owner to pay a substantial fee, register with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and undergo a waiting period before receipt of the weapon. The new proposals Coleman has made would do nothing to keep already illegal AK-47s off the street.

And that is the heart of the problem with the mayor's push for more gun control: There's no evidence that it will prevent crime. Proposals made by Sen. Rob Portman, on the other hand, will break the cycle of violence that is at the heart of so many of the tragedies we see on the news every day.

Current laws regulating gun control strike a balance between a constitutional right and our need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. They should be enforced and strengthened by laws that break the cycle of violence.

Scott Seibert
Hilliard