Advertising by the NRA

I was horrified when I opened The Times and saw the NRA full-page ad advocating the use of firearms!

We are living in violent times today to be sure, and the security that I once felt in my everyday life seems to be ebbing away bit by bit, but to arm myself to feel safer? How foolhardy and gullible the NRA must feel we are. Oh, the ad does provide us with “Don’t own a firearm if you choose not to,” but so what? That organization is hiding behind the Constitution to further its own needs--a “public service” membership drive, perhaps?

It is irresponsible for a newspaper of your stature to run such an inflammatory ad. The lunatic fringe is already out there wielding firearms at an alarming rate. Our society certainly doesn’t need this appeal to others by using the Constitution as justification. It’s an old and very distasteful ploy the NRA has been using for years. The paper cannot believe that this is a public service message. If it does, then what segment of the public are you serving?

SELBY SEGALL

Los Angeles