Enforcement the issue

Your sad story of the misadventures of immigrant Alejandro Ramirez-Castaneda (“Man thrice deported charged in Raleigh crash,” Jan. 31) points out a basic fact pertinent to both the current gun control and immigration debates: Current laws are not being enforced.

As the immigration spokesman stated, Ramirez-Castanda was not charged because “the probable large number of arrests would overwhelm the court system.”

With some 300 federal laws on the books about gun control, surely several more will do the trick and make those not inclined suddenly obey the law. This makes for good publicity and good theater but little progress on either front.

Continuing to pass thickets of laws and while enforcing only those that are convenient subjects the citizens of the U.S. to arbitrary and capricious punishment and does little to solve any of our real problems. It is similar to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Ben Owens

Raleigh