Wvw, Hoban To Decide Wvc Championship

Adele Jancik 
Feb. 11, 1994 
Adele Jancik, Of Third Avenue, Kingston, Died Friday In Summit Health Care 
Center, Wilkes-barre.

Sunday, February 13, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Tough gun control laws are just a pipe dream &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Spread across these two pages are arguments for gun control, against gun
control and on most points of the spectrum in between. The Times Leader is
proud to bring you this package, which we hope will be a thought-provoking
supplement to the scientific poll on the subject that is featured on page 1A &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; this morningWe know the arguments about as well as anyone now, having
edited these and countless other columns on gun control over the years. But
the strongest argument of all is seldom mentioned in such essays. It may,
however, be found between the lines of every article on this page -- and to
us, it tips the scale decisively against the handgun bans and other massive
reforms called for by extreme proponents of the issue. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The argument: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It ain't gonna happen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's all there is to it. The United States of America simply is not going
to ban handguns or otherwise clamp down hard on firearms anytime in the next
generation, as even the most casual student of the issue must admit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Why? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Because the passion on the issue is too intense. Our government, for better
or worse, is set up so that a strong and committed minority can block those
far-reaching laws that it opposes. And besides abortion, no other issue
arouses the same intensity in the general public as does gun control, as the
production of this very page makes clear. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Several weeks ago, we put a 2-inch-high notice on the opposite page
solicting letters on gun control. Within a week we had 50 responses, only a
fraction of which (regrettably) we're able to print today. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All but about five or six of those letters blasted gun control. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That imbalance is not representative. Indeed, it goes directly against the
scientific results of today's poll. But it does speak to the sheer force of
the gun control opponents' beliefs, and to their willingness to all but lay
down their lives in defense of their "rights." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's hard enough for Congress to override such passion when it's confined
to a small or a fringe minority -- say, 10 or 15 percent of the population.
But when the minority numbers in the tens of millions (as gun control
opponents do), when they vote in huge numbers and are backed by expert
organization -- well, let's just say that it hardly matters whether gun
control is right or wrong. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The fact is it's politically impossible. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The United States may pass scratch-the-surface legislation in the next few
years, as it already has done with the Brady bill. But banning handguns?
Confiscating hunting rifles? Repealing the Second Amendment? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Uh-uh. We crime-fighters would be better off spending our time on something
else.

Tough Gun Control Laws 
Are Just A Pipe Dream 
Spread Across These Two Pages Are Arguments For Gun Control, Against Gun 
Control And On Most Points Of The Spectrum In Between. The Times Leader Is 
Proud To Bring You This Package, Which We Hope Will Be A Thought-provoking 
Supplement To The Scientific Poll On The Subject That Is Featured On Page 1a 
This Morning.