Thursday, May 17, 2007

At first blush, this story about a toddler receiving a gun permit in Illinois seems like a funny little story about the incompetence of government. On further reflection, though, it makes an important point.

The Left would argue that it's a symptom of the insidiousness of America's "gun culture" that such a permit would be issued. After all, as the Illinois State Police say in the story, "There is nothing in the FOID Act or any of the rules that says anything about age restrictions." And so, the Left might say, here we have a 10-month-old child receiving a gun permit! Imagine the havoc to be wreaked by a child with a shotgun!

However, the more important point is: the permit application was completed and submitted by the boy's father. One would imagine that this same father would take responsibility for the child's actions, and that the child would, in fact, never have an opportunity to use the weapon without the father's direct involvement.

Is this story really about the issue of gun control, or is it about parental responsibility? If this child actually got his hands on the gun, would it be the State's responsibility or the father's? The Columbine killers, even at their ages, didn't exist in a vacuum.

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