How hard is it for Democrats to do their jobs? Rather than enforcing current laws, Bill Clinton would have you believe that Republicans in this country are practically giving guns to criminals at gun shows.

This is not so; otherwise many Democrats long known for their gun control legislation wouldn’t have sided with the National Rifle Association when they voted for a bill proposed by Rep. John Dingall from Michigan allowing a 24-hour background check at gun shows.

Illinois Republican Henry Hyde introduced a House bill for a 72-hour background check, a measure Bill Clinton supports. This is the problem the NRA has with new gun laws; they eliminate sales at gun shows and hurt small businesses and independent dealers. Stricter background checks at gun shows would slow weapon sales, as the waiting period would outlast the gun show itself.

The Second Amendment states, “… the right of the people to bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Your rights as gun owners are constantly being threatened by anti-self-defense organizations that believe a disarmed society is a safe society. But it has been historically proven that a disarmed society falls victim to criminal abuse.

If someone tells you that a 72-hour background check is necessary, ask how they would feel confronted by a criminal with a gun. What kind of Gestapo tactics are you going to use in 72 hours that you can’t get done in 24? Of course, anti-gun advocates say, “We live in a civilized society. Why do we need guns?” Our society isn’t civilized. That’s the problem. Morally deployed, guns are effective deterrents to incivility.

A New York Times/ABC news poll showed that two in three parents lobby for stricter enforcement of gun laws, not new ones. How do we stop kids from getting their hands on guns? Simple: Enforce the laws we have.

For example, in Iowa we have laws prohibiting the sale and transfer of guns to minors. So how do kids get the guns? Illegally, of course.

There are reasons guns are sold at shows. It is a venue for responsible Americans to deal merchandise in a responsible manner.

Ignoring all the hoopla about waiting periods, reasonable people can recognize that violent criminals and the mentally deranged do not buy guns from a store where they must submit to a background check. Instead, they buy their firearms on the black market, where there are no waiting periods.

What makes our country so vastly different from others is that we are entitled the right to bear arms. I bet you can’t do that in China. Police can’t be everywhere and at critical times when it comes down to your life or a criminal’s, most would be more safe with a gun in their house.

Any law that seeks to impose a penalty as a means of preventing an act removes individual responsibility for those who are subject to that law.

Why should we adopt a zero-tolerance policy for private gun ownership? What have law-abiding citizens done to deserve this undue punishment? Punish the illegal action, not people oblivious to illegal situations.

Enforcing current gun laws is the best way to prevent abuse. The Dingall Bill, which coincidentally didn’t pass, was a slap in the face to those who use their guns properly.

It sends the message that personal freedoms can be restricted whenever the government needs to save face. The current administration’s lack of enforcement is to blame for the recent media blitz on gun control.

The tragedies in Jonesboro, Ark.; Littleton, Colo.; Seattle; Los Angeles; and just Monday in Washington D.C. are lessons teaching us what happens when the government doesn’t do its job. The Brady Bill, which requires a five-day waiting period, is not an effective tool when it comes to preventing gun abuse.

It is irresponsible for President Clinton to attack Americans who use their guns legally for sport, self-defense or hunting and blame them for the governments lack of enforcement.

With the lack of moral authority in the White House, is it any question why we have an immoral society? How can our kids look up to the president as a role model when he himself is morally corrupt?

Tragically, all this could be avoided if the government were to own up to its failures and enforce the law. Sure, writing more laws gets you votes come election time, but when it finally comes down to it, all the rhetoric won’t dismiss the facts that kids are killing kids every week.

The propaganda spewed from Clinton is readily dismissed until he takes responsibility and places the blame where it belongs. The NRA and hunters have not given kids a license to kill. Kids kill because they see no other way to fight for themselves, and it’s a shame. We live in a society where people have to be guarded with guns.

Police can’t be everywhere, and by taking away the right to own guns, you put everyone’s life in danger.

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Andy Gonzales is a junior in political science from El Paso, Texas.