7-Eleven’s Ban on Playboy Magazine
I think it is ironic that the front page of The Times (April 11) contained two stories that portray a strange perception of the causes of violence in this country.
Congress, under heavy lobbying from the National Rifle Assn., relaxed the gun control laws, which will undoubtedly cause an increase in violent crime and accidental deaths caused by guns. Nearby there was the news that 7-Eleven stores are no longer going to sell Playboy magazine because of “public concern over a possible link between such magazines and crime.”
In Europe glamorous pictures of naked women adorn daily newspapers, weekly news magazines and television shows without causing any uproar. Nearly every country in Europe allows women to sunbathe topless on the beaches, and pornography rules are generally more relaxed.
On the other hand, the ownership of guns is strictly controlled and violence on TV is much more subdued.
Guess what? Europe has less crime and far less murders caused by guns.
It seems that Congress, the Rev. Jerry Falwell and 7-Eleven have got their priorities mixed up.
Can we expect to see a new bumper sticker: “Guns Don’t Kill People, But Sex Does!”
JOHN RETTIE
Santa Barbara
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