Bush will enforce existing laws

ver heard of the Second Amendment?\nOne of the basic rights given to American citizens by our Constitution is "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." Gun control is infringing on the right of responsible, law-abiding American citizens to own and use their own guns. It's that simple. Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore doesn't support the principles of the Second Amendment; he plays political games with them for personal advantage.\nFrank Rutter, Gore's former editor at The Tennessean, explained Gore's rational for being pro-guns when he first ran for Congress, according to Goreline.com: "He said, 'Look, I'm running in a district where people favor guns, and there's no way I can win if I take a position that indicates I\'m going to take away their guns. It's as simple as that.'"\nRepublican presidential candidate and Texas governor George W. Bush will protect law-abiding citizens' constitutional rights while enacting reasonable, common-sense restrictions on the unsafe use of firearms.\nBush believes the best gun control measure is to prosecute those who illegally sell guns, illegally carry guns and illegally commit crimes with guns. His priority as president will be to keep guns away from criminals and juveniles.\nThe federal, state and local books contain at least 20,000 laws about the purchase and use of firearms. There are, in fact, more than 90,000 words on the subject in the federal books alone. Yet the thousands of laws cannot and did not prevent tragedies such as those that occurred at Columbine or Jonesboro.\nBut private guns have stopped two recent school shootings:\nWhen shots rang out at a school in Pearl, Miss., Assistant Principal Joel Myrick ran to his car, got his gun and subdued the 16-year-old shooter, ordering him to the ground several minutes before police arrived. By that time, Luke Woodham had already shot two students to death and wounded seven others. When Myrick stopped the rampage, Luke still had another 38 rounds of ammunition in his pockets.\nThe second incident occurred when, during a dance in Edinboro, Penn., a banquet hall owner stopped a shooting after an eighth-grader opened fire. James Strand, armed with a shotgun, confronted the 14-year-old assailant while he was reloading, forcing him to drop his gun and ensuring he did not escape. Even after Strand had subdued the youth, a full 10 minutes passed before the police arrived.\nGore has acknowledged stringent gun control laws "haven't been an effective solution to the underlying problem of violent crime," (Washington Monthly, Nov. 1986). But while he was in the Senate and as vice president, Gore voted repeatedly for such laws.\nUnder Bush's leadership as governor, Texans are safer. According to Bush's Web site, during Bush's tenure, violent crime decreased 20 percent, while overall crime decreased 13 percent. Juvenile crime is down 38 percent -- the first decline in more than a decade. And Bush has effectively abolished parole for violent offenders.\nBush stands strong on his gun policies:\n• Vigorous enforcement of current gun laws\n• Background checks at gun shows and pawnshops\n• Increase the age of possession of a handgun\n• Supports Juvenile Assault Weapons Ban\n• Supports child safety locks for all handguns\n• Supports ban on importing high-capacity ammunition clips\nAccording to a Zogby "American Values" survey, 69 percent of likely independent voters said they would support a candidate who wants better enforcement of current gun control laws, while only 25 percent would support a candidate who wants more gun control laws. \nAmerica understands it's what's in your heart that determines your actions, not what's in your hands.