‘Gun Control Gets a Boost’

During a discussion of a gun-control bill Assemblyman Art Agnos (D-San Francisco) had introduced a few years ago, Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) complained to me about the “paranoia” of the National Rifle Assn. To the NRA, Hayden said, even the most minimal restriction is seen as a foot in the door for an all-out ban. The Times editorial illustrates why those of us in the NRA view such measures as Rep. Edward F. Feighan’s (D-Ohio) amendment the way we do.

It is not paranoia but a recognition of the real agenda of liberal gun-grabbers like The Times. In an unusually forthright manner, The Times spelled out its goal: “ . . . A comprehensive ban on handgun purchases and ownership. . . . “

Anyone who enjoys bulls-eye or metallic silhouette competition, United States Practical Shooting Assn. matches, handgun hunting or informal plinking should make no mistake about where people like Times editors and Feighan are headed with their national waiting periods and other partial restrictions.

LEE W. SMITH

Culver City