Let’s arm ourselves with stronger gun laws

Almost two weeks ago, 22-year-old Jared L. Loughner, allegedly armed with a Glock 9mm with a 30-round magazine (and another bullet in the chamber) opened fire at a public meet-and-greet outside a Safeway store in Tucson, killing six and wounding 13, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

In the aftermath of this carnage, some in Congress have made constructive proposals. We applaud their efforts.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Reports of Loughner’s odd behavior in the months leading up to the shooting make it clear that he never should have been able to a purchase a weapon, and certainly not one with a high-capacity ammunition clip. He cleared a federal background check even though he had been banned from his community college campus for being a threat to other students and faculty. He had also been rejected by the Army for failing a drug test. But these things didn’t show up on the background check.

Three years ago, U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat from Mineola, authored a bill that became law, requiring the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to prohibit gun purchases by convicted criminals and those with a history of mental illness. This legislation stemmed from the March 2002 murder of the Rev. Larry Penzes of Our Lady of Peace Church in Lynbrook, and was also supported by State Sen. Dean Skelos, a Republican from Rockville Centre, and then-Assemblyman Bob Barra, a Republican from Lynbrook.

Penzes, 50, and congregant Eileen Tosner, 73, were shot and killed in the church by Peter Troy, 34, who was eventually sentenced to two life terms for the murders and an additional 25 years for the attempted murder of a police officer involved in his capture. Troy had purchased a .22 caliber rifle from a Mineola gun shop only days before the shootings, even though he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and had spent time in a mental institution.

Arizona has eased its gun law restrictions in recent years. Loughner customized his weapon with an extended ammunition clip that was illegal in the state six years ago. It contained 18 more bullets than a standard magazine.