By Dari Kotzker
NJ Today
“This is our first task as a society — keeping our children safe. This is how we will be judged and their voices should compel us to change,” President Barack Obama said. With those words, the president went on to announce his gun control initiatives.
Ed Tarpy’s family has owned a gun store for nearly 50 years and he had some initial thoughts on what’s ahead for gun advocates after hearing Obama’s speech.
“We’re fighting for our freedoms,” Tarpy said. “His agenda is to try to take away a lot of our freedoms that we’re constitutionally given, and now we’re whittling it away. My question is if he whittles away the Second Amendment, what’s next, your First Amendment?”
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Most of his customers today had some strong opinions on the universal background checks and restricting ammunition magazines.
“I think that they are going about it the wrong way, they are a bunch of idiots. They have enough laws on the books now that they can’t enforce and now they are going to pile more on top of it, and that’s not going to cure the problem,” said Larry Smashey of Mantua.
“That’s stupid, buy 10 magazines, you now, what do you accomplish? Did you save one tenth of a second by the guy changing the magazines?” asked Ronald Pollard of Cinnaminson.
Others say a ban on assault weapons won’t make a difference on gun violence.
“I think you’ll see more illicit and illegal trading and things like that that were out in the open before. It’s what happened during prohibition. So if people want to get something they’re going to get something whether it’s legally or illegally,” said Dale Kopus of Sewell.
Tarpy says he’s seen a huge increase in the number of first time gun buys since November and with the president’s proposed gun laws, he expects that trend to continue.
“People that have sat on the liberal fence there, saying I want to get a gun but I’m not sure. … Then they start talk about whittling away your Second Amendment rights, it’s forcing those people to come out and buy,” Tarpy said.
Even though the president did say he respects the Second Amendment, Tarpy has his reservations.
“Anybody can say they can support something, but have another agenda. Look at the actions. The actions prove what the agenda is,” Tarpy said.