#14 in a series of information leaflets from The Stentorian, www.stentorian.com
(C) 2000, William A. Levinson. Permission is granted to print, copy, and distribute hard (non-electronic) copies of this page freely and without royalties of any kind, provided that it is not altered in any manner. The page is formatted so it will fit on a single 8.5 by 11 inch sheet. It may be photocopied, folded in thirds, taped to form a letter-sized piece, and mailed to anyone whom you think it would interest- and they are encouraged to similarly copy and distribute it. Image credits: http://www.stentorian.com/credits.html

A mother's strongest instinct is the protection of her children. There have always been, unfortunately, people and organizations that exploit this instinct for their own benefit— whether for money, votes, power, publicity, or speaking honoraria. In the 19th century, they encouraged mothers to buy snake oil, elixirs, and miracle cures. These products did no good, and the mothers and children were lucky if they did no harm.
Trigger locks aren't the cure-all that Handgun Control Incorporated's medicine show would have you believe. Handgun Control Incorporated's own lawyer, Dennis Henigan, made the mistake of drinking HCI's wonder elixir: gun locks.
"At a recent antigun conference in Chicago, Mr. Henigan, who is the top lawyer with Handgun Control Inc., the country's largest gun control organization, waved a version of the [Saf T Lock], extolling how easy it is to operate. Then, punching in what he thought was the correct combination, the lawyer failed to unlock the gun, much to the evident discomfort of the sympathetic audience." He excused his failure with the words, "Even if a klutz like me fumbles on the first try, the benefits of having a lock outweigh the risks." (Barrett, "A Simple Invention Points Up Complexity of Gun-Control Suits," Wall Street Journal, 4/23/99, A1).
Sorry, Mr. Henigan doesn't get a second try. His wonderful gun lock just got him killed, perhaps with any family members who were relying on him for protection. Mr. Henigan fumbled under no greater pressure than a demonstration in front of a friendly audience. Consider the stress he'd face in a genuine life-threatening situation, such as a home intruder smashing his way through the door. Now, if Handgun Control Inc. had any integrity and character at all, it would accept the evidence of its own demonstration and say, "We need to rethink this." They haven't done this; they need to be right so badly that they continue to try to force this snake oil down the throats of their fellow Americans— even if it kills them.
A firearm that is kept for self-protection is a piece of emergency equipment (like a fire extinguisher) that must be available when you need it. Our side supports your choice to use trigger locks when you think they're appropriate (e.g. when children are present); we're against the government's forcing you to put your life at risk by using them when it thinks you should.