There Should Not Be Stricter Gun Control Laws - Statement Of James Valentino, President, Illinois State Rifle Association, Before The Subcommittee On Crime, House Committee On The Judiciary, April 15, 1975

Protecting the citizens is not disarming them. To properly protect the citizens, we cannot deny them the right to protect themselves. The handgun in the dresser drawer should remain a legitimate means of self-protection to the honest citizen. Why talk about gun laws when our federal government has so miserably failed at all other attempts to ban products or commodities? Our prohibition of alcohol was notoriously unsuccessful and produced an organized underworld unsurpassed in history. Our narcotic bans have failed to reduce the flow and operate to protect underworld profits. If we attempt to ban any desired type of guns, the underworld will be manufacturing before the congressional ink is dry.