‘Outrage in War on Guns’

In view of recent shoot-outs between police and criminals armed with automatic weapons, it seems that we must either upgrade police arms (not a happy thought), institute reasonable gun control or both.

First, everyone, including the National Rifle Assn., should understand that the Constitution gives us the right to bear arms for the purpose of forming a militia, not just because we are Americans. All right, join the National Guard and you can keep a gun at home.

We feel that it is inconsistent to control drugs but not guns. A reasonable gun-control program should have at least the following features:

--Permits to buy and own a gun should be issued by local police and should involve fingerprints, photo, and background check. This would automatically mean a waiting period.

--Citizens should only be allowed to own guns according to their needs--e.g. for home protection a .32-caliber pistol or light shotgun should be sufficient.

--Research should be sponsored with permit fees to develop incapacitating but non-lethal hand weapons.

--Automatic weapons and mail orders should be banned absolutely.

We can only hope that at sometime in the dim future our society will mature to where guns are not felt necessary.

If even a reasonable program like this cannot be passed into law, then we are indeed under the direction of the arms barons and their NRA.

LEO P. HOLLIDAY

Santa Monica