Friday, December 15, 2003
To the editor,
The New York City Council continues to spread misinformation regarding
toy guns ("Toy Gun Violations," Dec. 15).
According to the article, "Police have fired at children holding replica
firearms 12 times since 1998... Several have been killed, including a
boy, 17, who was gunned down after pointing a BB gun at the head of an
undercover cop last January."
Awww. The poor widdle 17-year-old thug was killed while attempting to
rob an undercover police officer. The gun used in that incident was not
a BB gun but a pellet gun, which is not a toy but a potentially lethal
weapon, especially when held to the victim's temple.
When the Manhattan Libertarian Party organized its infamous Guns for
Tots toy drive in Harlem last February, it was specifically in response
to incidents such as this. Gifford Miller is lying when he says that
"putting a toy gun in a child's hands is putting a child's life at
risk." The truth is that almost every incident of police killing a
"child playing with a toy gun" is in reality a teenager attempting to
pass it off as a real weapon in the commission of a crime.
Instead of playing the Grinch with children's toys, the City Council
should make it easier for peaceful citizens to carry real guns for
self-defense. That would increase the safety of all New Yorkers.
Jim Lesczynski
Manhattan
Mr. Lesczynski is spokesman for the Manhattan Libertarian Party and
founder of its Guns for Tots program.
