Instant Need

• In 1991, Bonnie Elmasri of Wisconsin tried to get a handgun to protect herself from her estranged husband, but he returned home and killed her and her 2 children before the 48-hour waiting period required by State law had expired.
• In 1990, Catherine Latta of North Carolina tried to buy a firearm but was told by police that it would take her 2 to 4 weeks to get the necessary permit. After telling the clerk she "would be dead by then," she illegally bought a handgun on the street. 5 hours later she was attacked again by the man who had already robbed, assaulted, and raped her. She used her handgun to protect herself by shooting and killing him. Had she not had a handgun, the outcome would have been much different.
• Residents of Los Angeles were forced to wait 15 days during the 1991 riots before they could legally buy a firearm for protection, in spite of the fact that police were admitting that they could not protect the people.