It’s time to shoot down the lamest argument in the gun debate. In what passes for the gun debate – whether it’s in Congress, on talk radio or in the letters to the editor of this and other newspapers – we hear opponents of tighter gun laws argue that new laws would only affect law-abiding citizens, since criminals won’t follow the laws.

What if we used this logic in other areas?

April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month and you may have noticed the various events SafeQuest Solano held, raising awareness and money for survivors. Never during any of the discussions did anyone stand up and ask why we even have laws against sexual assault, since rapists clearly ignore the laws. A rapist isn’t going to not rape simply because there’s a law against it. No, the law only stops law-abiding citizens from sexually assaulting people.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Laws are in place to obviously set limits on behavior. For those who break the laws, there are consequences. That rapist will lose his freedom. That criminal who violates gun laws will lose his or her freedom.

We had a possible shooting on 2nd Street Monday night. I have no idea if the shooter purchased his or her gun legally. I know it’s illegal to have a concealed weapon in a car. It’s unlawful to discharge a weapon in the city. It’s illegal to shoot someone unprovoked. Those laws are in place so if someone violates them, he or she can be prosecuted.

I just had $400 worth of work done on my car so it would pass a smog check. Then I had to pay to register it. That’s because I’m a law-abiding driver. Sure it was a financial burden and hassle, but it’s the price I pay to operate a vehicle on the streets in this state. I’m also required to have insurance in order to drive.

There are scofflaws driving cars with expired or stolen tags that haven’t passed the smog test. About 14 percent of California drivers are driving without insurance. Perhaps we should rescind these laws since a portion of the public is ignoring them. It’s obvious the law only affects we law-abiding citizens.

This is silly because all universal background checks would do is require the rest of the nation do what we do here in California. It would require all gun sales whether in a store, gun show or private sale to go through a federally licensed dealer and have a background check. Background checks will help dry up some of the 40 percent of gun sales that are currently unregulated.

Universal background checks will make responsible gun owners end those private sales. And for those criminals who won’t do it, then they’ve broken the law and at least there’s recourse and consequences for that. That’s the point.

So enough of this ridiculous argument about criminals not following the law.

One more thing I hear during this debate is some gun owners saying they won’t comply with new regulations or new gun purchase registration. “From my cold dead hands!” the late National Rifle Association golden boy Charlton Heston used to wheeze while trying to hold a rifle over his head. So you law-abiding folks are telling us you’re not going to abide by new laws? What does that make you?

Peace.

Kelvin Wade is the author of “Morsels” and lives in Fairfield. Email him at [email protected]