Waiting Period

WASHINGTON -- When John Snyder heard that former President Ronald Reagan had endorsed a national seven-day waiting period for handgun purchases, he said he was reminded of the 146th Psalm: "Put not your trust in princes, the children of men, in whom there is no salvation."Mr. Snyder, director of public affairs for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, is not alone. Around the country, opponents of gun control say they feel betrayed by Mr. Reagan, the prince they had campaigned for, idolized and trusted.

Former President Reagan has endorsed legislation that would require a seven-day waiting period for firearms purchases. Meanwhile, President Bush--long an opponent of such gun-control legislation--is said to be willing to discuss the legislation.The Evening Sun wants to know whether you think such a waiting period should be required for firearm purchases.To register your opinion, call SUNDIAL at 783-1800 (or 268-7736 in Anne Arundel County). After you hear the greeting, you'll be asked to punch in a four-digit code on your Touch-Tone phone.

"It's just plain common sense," President Reagan said yesterday, "that there be a waiting period to allow local law enforcement officials to conduct background checks on those who wish to buy a handgun."With that indisputable sentence, the former president endorsed the Brady Bill -- a piece of legislation carrying the name of Reagan's former press secretary who bears grievous lifelong injuries as a result of a bullet fired by a deranged man 10 years ago in the attempt on Reagan's life.One despairs to think how many lives might have been saved, or how many people might have been spared Jim Brady's life as a cripple, if Reagan had stated this "plain common sense" eight years ago in order to push through the mandatory waiting-period bill.

CONGRESS should enact, and President Bush should sign, the so-called Brady Bill, which would require a weeklong waiting period before dealers could deliver handguns to buyers. During this delay, police could check records to see if the purchaser has a criminal record. Some people would be stopped from acting on violent, momentary impulses.More than 20,000 Americans are killed by handguns every year. Common sense tells us that some of those lives could have been saved if legislation similar to the Brady Bill had been on the books.

Although understaffed because of state cuts, the Carroll County Department of Social Services is fielding increased applications for public assistance, Director M. Alexander Jones told the board of directors yesterday.The result is a longer waiting period -- three weeks instead of one -- between the time a person calls for help and the interview in which the department determines the applicant's eligibility, Jones said. If eligible, the person may have to wait anotherweek or so before getting the aid, Jones said.

Florida gun vote sends a strong messageThe voters of Florida recently added a strong voice to the ongoing debate of whether gun control and crime control go hand-in-hand.The voters answer was a resounding "yes!" Eighty-four percent of the voters approved a proposition mandating a three-day waiting period for the purchase of guns in the state. These people ignored the pleadings of the NRA, which outspent the bill's supporters by 4 to 1.Evidently the fact that Florida has the highest crime rate and the sixth highest homicide rate in the country weighed heavily in the vote.