A recent experiment with gun control, or a lack thereof, in Missouri is instructive for Pennsylvanians. In 2007, the state repealed a long-standing law that required background checks and licenses for all handgun owners. Hence anyone may now buy a handgun in Missouri with no embarrassing questions regarding a criminal record.

Missouri crime statistics were recently analyzed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, and the results were unsurprising: The repeal of the law was statistically correlated with a huge 23 percent increase in gun homicide rates. None of Missouri's neighbors experienced a similar increase. Obviously, background checks save lives.

Pennsylvania is not Missouri, but we could do better because Pennsylvania's current background check laws still have a large loophole. In particular, long guns sold privately at gun shows and elsewhere are exempt from background check requirements. This includes the assault-style rifles that have figured prominently in recent massacres. Thus anyone can buy these guns, including convicted criminals and the mentally disturbed.

House Bill 1010, now before the Pennsylvania Legislature, seeks to close this loophole. Passage of this law would undoubtedly help to curb gun violence in Pennsylvania. All Pennsylvanians should urge their legislators to support this common-sense legislation.

Terry Delph

Upper Saucon Township