Editorial: Responsible gun ownership means following rules :: 10/11/2021

Conversations about guns and the limits of their accessibility are never easy.

While most other rights like speech or a speedy trial are intangible, a gun is the one that can be held in your hand. It can be strapped at your side. It can even be packed in a bag and taken into an airport. 

But please don’t do that. At least, don’t do it the way more than two dozen people have done at Pittsburgh International Airport or at least five others have done at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport so far in 2021.

There is a way to take a weapon onto a plane. It goes in a locked carrying case with hard exterior. It must be not only checked in the baggage but declared from the moment you step up to the ticket counter. The same goes for ammunition or magazines or clips.

It’s not as easy as bringing your laptop onto the plane, but it’s also only slightly more complicated than bringing a full-size bottle of shampoo or a fifth of whiskey. Those also have to be checked rather than in a carry-on. However if you forget that you have a large container of hair spray in your bag, you will end up watching your hair spray go into a big vat of other oversize liquids.

Forget you have a gun and you face much stiffer consequences. There could be civil fines as high as $13,910. Now the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office will be taking another step — revoking carry permits.

Stephen Kaufman is acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He says prosecuting people for willfully bringing guns onto planes is hard because “in almost every case, the passenger says they inadvertently had the gun in their bag,” and criminal charges require criminal intent.

A carry permit is different. A carry permit requires responsibility. Misplacing a weapon with lethal force is not responsible, and the sheriff’s office is within its authority to act accordingly.

The U.S. and Pennsylvania constitutions both undeniably afford gun rights but every right comes with responsibility as well. You have the right to free speech but are not free from its fallout. You have the right to practice your religion but not to force others to bend their knees.

When it comes to guns, the right to use them for hunting or self-defense or even just shooting at cans on a fence because it’s fun is protected. But at the same time, there is an expectation of doing so safely, without negligence or carelessness. Most gun owners are careful.

But not knowing your pistol is in your purse or your handgun is under your shaving kit in your suitcase is, at best, neglectful. At worst, it could be a lie, which would mean saying so was a false statement to federal authorities.

It is beneficial to all responsible gun owners to follow the rules, check your weapons accordingly or leave them at home.

https://triblive.com/opinion/editorial-responsible-gun-ownership-means-following-rules/