Gun Traced in Reading Cop Killing

Federal authorities arrested a man in the Lehigh Valley for purchasing a Glock .40 milimeter handgun used to murder Reading police officer Scott Wertz earlier this month. He was arrested for falsifying his paperwork, using an address for his grandparents when he bought seven guns. He wasn't arrested for buying seven guns at once, apparently immediately selling them on the street, for not reporting the guns as missing or stolen, or for the fact his gun was used to murder a cop. None of those seem to be offenses under Pennsylvania law. If you wonder why I talk about common sense gun safety laws, Jared Tomline is living, walking proof.

Mr. Tomline bought seven dangerous handguns three weeks ago. Six remain unaccounted for. Of course he could have bought as many as he pleased, we should be thankful it was merely seven. Six remain floating around, probably in the hands of those ne'er do wells we legally prohibit from purchasing guns legally. This is a huge loophole and a cottage industry for some gun dealers and entrepreneurs. Too many dealers look the other way when they suspect straw buyers or when they suspect that the guns are being bought to resell on the streets. These enterprising folks buying large quantities of guns are doing so to resell them to those who cannot purchase them legally. At a significant profit.

We must wake up and realize our lax and nonexistent gun laws are costing the lives of innocent people and our own police officers. A five year old boy was grazed by a bullet last week-end in Reading. The man he was walking with was killed. A five year old boy folks, when the hell are we going to wake up and stop this carnage?

We have a situation where a gun was purchased legally and three weeks later was used to kill a cop. The other guns bought that day are still out there somewhere. Are you comfortable with that? Are you comfortable knowing they could be in the hands of some gang member in your community? Maybe one of your neighbors bought one to settle a dispute with another neighbor. Maybe an abusive husband bought one to use against his wife who just left him. Maybe they're your neighbors. Maybe one will be used to rob your business.

Limiting handgun sales to one per month will take a lot of these guns off our streets. There are too many Jared Tomline's out there looking to earn easy money buying and selling guns. We're all paying the price.