Guns and DUI's....What Works?

By Kyle S. Reyes, Director of Marketing for Carter Chevrolet and Mazda of Manchester

It's perhaps the most controversial topic to be debated in Connecticut in recent years: gun control.

Today, Connecticut will pass sweeping gun control laws in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook.  

Emotions are running high on both sides of the debate, which is arguably why our forefathers designed our Constitution the way they did - to allow change on the national level to be fueled by conversation and debate as opposed to emotion.

Working in the auto industry, an interesting perspective was shared with me last night.

There are numerous laws against drinking and driving.  Yet if you look at any local police log, you'll see countless violations.

It reminded me of a former coworker that we had to let go when I was in the restaurant industry.

After numerous DUI's, they installed a breathalyzer in his vehicle.  A sober blow into it allows you to drive off.

The problem, as we found out later, was that the employee was paying sober people to breath into it for him so that he could drive home.

The day after he was cleared to have the device finally removed from his car, he was arrested after driving 80 in a 35...at nearly three times the legal limit.

The person who raised the point about DUI laws to me sparked an interesting conversation.  He asked if taking away the second amendment rights of law abiding citizens is going to stop bad guys from breaking the law - especially when they can just cross state lines or turn to other bad guys to get what they're looking for.

He pointed out that cocaine is illegal...yet that doesn't stop people from getting it.  His belief is that instead of a knee-jerk reaction and taking away the guns, we'd be better off addressing the root of many problems - providing greater mental health services.

What do you think?