Guns and Bullets

On the issue of the proliferation of guns in Los Angeles and our society in general, one must realize what we’re up against. Thousands, perhaps millions, of handguns are in irresponsible hands.

Then there’s the powerful National Rifle Assn. lobby, blind to the human toll its efforts have wrought, and wealthy enough to stay the course until the last dog is dead. Clearly, nothing short of martial law and house searches will abate this plague, so there is only one answer:

Guns don’t kill people, bullets do. If we can’t eliminate the guns, legislation must be enacted to change the nature and content of today’s bullets. There is no reason why civilian bullets have to be so deadly. Lead and hollow-point bullets need to be outlawed. Also, whatever type of bullets are allowed must not be cheap. A tax upon legal bullets levied by local governments would be constructive for a variety of reasons.

RICK D. ELLISON, Los Angeles