Here is something that might throw you for a spin. A 10-month-old child in Chicago, Ill., was legally given a gun permit. He cannot walk, talk or even feed himself, but if he wanted to have a gun, he would be perfectly able to do so lawfully (the Illinois gun law shows no age restriction when applying for the certificate). Oh yeah, and did I mention that the father bought the young boy a 12-gauge Beretta as a gift? Howard Bubba Ludwig cannot even hold a spoon, and yet it is perfectly OK for him to grasp this gun if he really wanted to.
Officials say that the boy will probably not be given possession of the firearm until he reaches the age 14. Great, that should make his future classmates feel a lot better about the situation. Was this gift really necessary? With the recent shootings at Virginia Tech and the past events at Columbine and Red Lake High School, one would think that there would be a more strict way of controlling access to guns, especially to those under the age of 21. Officials should be a little bit more concerned with what could happen when this child is old enough to realize what exactly he has in his possession. Just because there is no age limit when applying for a gun permit does not make up for the fact that there is a lack of common knowledge and security when handing out these legal papers.
Ashley Miller is a junior organizational communication major.
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Letter to the Editor
