Drop Those Guns

The report that a sniper firing at random killed an Olympic runner on the track at Washington State University a few weeks ago reminded us of a far more bloody incident that took place this summer. Armed with an Uzi assult rifle (purchased for $500 from a mail-order house in Nebraska), a 12-gauge pump shotgun and a 9-millimeter Browning pistol, James Oliver Huberty wiped out twenty-one men, women and children patronizing a McDonald's in San Ysidro, California. Huberty, a hot-tempered gun freak from Ohio, had mental problems and a history of trouble with the law. A few hours before he slung his rifle on his shoulder and headed for the restaurant, he told his wife, "Society had its chance."

We must ask if society had any chance, given the absence of laws that would disarm people like Huberty. …

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Publication information: Article title: Drop Those Guns. Contributors: Not available. Magazine title: The Nation. Volume: 239. Publication date: December 1, 1984. Page number: 573. © 1999 The Nation Company L.P. COPYRIGHT 1984 Gale Group.

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