LETTER: License gun owners like drivers

I am an ardent supporter of the Second Amendment, and, as a conservative, I believe there is too much government in our lives.

A sane, law-abiding citizen has the right to possess a firearm. Most people driving motor vehicles are sane, law-abiding citizens. Having said that, were there no speed limits or speed enforcement, would all the sane, law-abiding people drive at a safe speed? Probably not. There would probably be havoc and death on our roads.

I agree with Tehran Boldon’s Tuesday letter to the editor that, similar to traffic laws for driving, universal background check laws should be required for all gun transfers between strangers — the same lawful check as when a firearm is purchased from a dealer with a federal firearms license.

Where I disagree with Mr. Boldon is when he argues that all gun transfers should require a universal background check. A gun transfer between immediate members of a family, hunters loaning or exchanging firearms in the woods, or shooters loaning or exchanging firearms at a shooting range should be exempt from universal background checks.