The Gun Lobby Is Once Again Out Of Step by JOHN WARK

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The Gun Lobby Is Once Again Out Of StepJOHN WARK Published: Sep 15, 2001I t was a time for grief and anger, but also a time for restraint and patience. As the dust and smoke from the collapsed World Trade Center towers rose thick and black over lower Manhattan, fears also arose that unhinged individuals might lash out at America's faceless new enemy. Thus, within hours of the indescribable horror we watched replay on television, one of the nation's largest retail chains wisely halted sales of guns and ammunition. It was ``a precautionary safety measure,'' Kmart spokeswoman Susan Dennis said. There was no need to ask whose safety Kmart had in mind. It was one of many examples of the reasoned exercise of good sense displayed far and wide this week. Yet Florida's National Rifle Association lobbyist, Marion Hammer, viewed Kmart's move differently. ``If there is a real threat to the heartland of this country, now of all times its citizens need to be prepared to defend their country,'' she said. Defend Against Whom? It's a question as tricky as the one we face as a nation at this moment. We cannot shoot first and ask questions later. To strike out is to be as misguided as the terrorists. So was Kmart correct in erring on the side of caution? Does the retail giant understand something about human nature that Hammer and the NRA appear to ardently ignore? The answers are yes, and yes. In Gary, Ind., a man in a ski mask fired more than 21 shots at Hassan Awedah on Wednesday as he stood behind bulletproof glass inside his gas station. In the Texas town of Denton, the Islamic Society was firebombed. The Other Terrorists Should we make it easier or harder for such individuals to buy guns? There are, to be sure, gun owners who see Hammer's paranoid fear-mongering for what it is. It's precisely what is not needed in debates about gun control. Timothy McVeigh was packing a gun when he was pulled over shortly after bombing the federal building in Oklahoma. McVeigh, of course, was a home-grown terrorist. The people who are targeting innocent Americans because they speak Arabic or vaguely resemble Osama bin Laden also are guilty of terror. Our difficulty now is in separating real from imagined threats. The willy-nilly sale of guns to those who suffer from prejudice, ignorance and fear can pose as much a threat as bin Laden - especially when the paranoid gun buyer views his government and fellow Americans as the enemy. Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature have long supported virtually any position Hammer and the NRA espoused. Minutes after the Columbine school shootings in Colorado, Bush and Hammer had their photo taken as the governor signed a law that gives out-of-state visitors the right to pack concealed weapons. People of common sense and reason might hope Hammer's most recent comment will give state lawmakers a reason to reassess that relationship and open the door to fuller debate on gun control. When it comes to the war on terror within our borders - what to do about easily accessible weapons - there has been no real debate, thanks to NRA votes and campaign contributions. Tallahassee bureau chief John Wark can be reached at (850) 222-8382.