Increase Penalties for crimes when Guns are used!

Discussions about banning assault weapons, and improving background checks, as well as closing the gun show loop holes, are great. But we need to look very hard at the fact that there is not nearly enough deterrent for crimes that utilize guns. Many of the deaths that arise from shootings in the U.S. occur during a crime, whether it be robbery, home invasion, or a crime of impulse such as assault or murder.

Currently, a criminal who commits these offenses may look forward to a stint in jail followed by parole. The risk to the safety of our community must be considered when sentencing occurs.

Imagine the thought that would go into the decision of picking up a gun when planning a burglary, for example, if the perpetrator is aware that there will be a mandatory life sentence applied if he is caught - as opposed to a 2 to 5 year stint if he does not use the gun.

We aren't asking for tacking on 10% to the current recommendations. That's just lip service that few will even become aware of. We need to make the penalty huge. We need to make a statement. The NRA cannot fight a move that penalizes those who use a gun in the commission of a crime. They can and will succeed in watering down our attempts to reduce access to guns. And there is no way to effectively reduce the number of guns already on the streets, and in our homes.

The only way to significantly reduce the danger these firearms present to our society, is to make it well understood, that using them improperly will result in the perpetrator losing their own life - by spending the rest of it in jail.