Dear Editor:

Pat Stuart wrote that we have a gun culture; that is, a way of life. Not! Yes, many of us have guns, long and short, but the tremendous majority of us are not, will not became mass killers.

She feels that only or mostly young male persons are being allowed to purchase automatic-fire weapons. Don’t think so; although her assumption seems to be based on recent incidents in which the shooters were young males. Pretty broad brush.

Persons who are deranged and misguided will find weapons from the black market, from others who sell them illegally. Just as morality cannot be legislated; neither can so-called gun control. One only has to look at countries where guns were outlawed and collected so that residents could not protect themselves from others who obtained guns illegally. Look at the U.S. cities with “strict” laws on guns. Laws don’t work that way; otherwise, there wouldn’t be motorists who drive while intoxicated or faster than posted speed limits.

Stuart touts “sensible gun laws.” Whatever they might be they are bound to try to restrict purchasing weapons or prohibiting us from owning them. Not good; not what the Founding Fathers had in mind no matter what caliber or magazine capacity guns that have evolved from flintlocks and other single-shot weapons.

Using her logic we should ban knives, hatches, aircraft, trains, surgery, sleeping pills, motor vehicles and disease.

Bob Rodriguez

Clark