Letter to the Editor: Suspend Gun Permits for DWI's

This letter was submitted by Harry Reynolds of Bradley Road: Assuming that everyone is playing with a full deck, the disclosure upon an application for a gun permit that the applicant has been known to drink alcohol excessively warrants a denial of the application. From this it must follow that upon the lawful arrest of the holder of a gun permit for driving while intoxicated, the evidence supporting the arrest is a sufficient predicate for the temporary suspension of the permit.

A statute providing for such a suspension, whether compelled or left to the discretion of the court, diminishes the risk of death or injury by defendant's use of his gun, a defendant indeed who ordinarily is unknown to the court and whose conduct, insofar as it is known to the court, suggests that the defendant may be troubled and may have an impaired judgment. Further, delay will infuse itself into the action. The consequences of a finding of guilt are substantial and rare is the defendant who yearns for a speedy disposition. His attorney will inquire into every factual and legal test available to the defendant. In short, unless there is a suspension and a handing over of the gun to the police, the risk attending defendant's continued possession of his gun is exacerbated by the inevitable delay.

Would our legislators consider a bill providing for the suspension of a gun permit during the pendency of an action for driving while intoxicated?

Harry Reynolds
Bradley Road