Guns and Federal Safety Laws

The Times is to be commended for drawing attention to the gross disparity in safety regulations covering virtually all other consumer products except firearms (Feb. 1). A stray bullet fired by a neighbor’s child playing with a gun narrowly missed me as an infant. Forty years later, it seems no progress has been made to assure that the same could not happen to my infant daughter.

It is astounding that the same legislators, government agencies and public sentiment that are so concerned about such health and safety issues as automobile air bags, ski helmets and secondhand smoke are blind when it comes to firearms. The choice of gun ownership is a right, but it’s time for the firearms industry, the NRA and Congress to wake up, face reality and act responsibly.

MIKE MICHELS

Huntington Beach

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Nowhere did your article mention that accidental deaths from guns are down considerably over the last 50 years in spite of skyrocketing gun ownership in this country. Nor does the article mention successful gun safety programs for kids, like the NRA’s Eddie Eagle program. But then, such information does not fit into The Times’ agenda, which is to vilify the NRA and to see the end of gun ownership by law-abiding citizens.

DON HEADLAND JR.

Morro Bay

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In reading about the tragic death of Kenzo Dix, I was rather surprised that nothing was mentioned of the person responsible for his death, his friend’s father. In leaving a loaded firearm under his bed, unlocked and unsecured, this man was asking for a terrible accident. A simple gun safe, one that is easily opened in an emergency, would have prevented Kenzo’s death. In addition, if he had educated his son in the safe and respectful handling of firearms, his son would not have played with such a dangerous tool.

Griffin and Lynn Dix should not be suing Beretta, but rather the criminally negligent father who left a loaded weapon where children could find it. There is now a law that makes it a felony to leave a firearm in a place where a minor could obtain it without permission, with the owner responsible for any action the minor takes with the weapon.

CHRIS LANGLAND-SHULA

Los Angeles

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Re “‘Britain Urges Handgun Owners to Turn In Weapons Before Ban,” Feb. 2: Those crazy Brits! OK, so one guy in Scotland uses his gun collection to massacre 16 kindergarten children and a teacher. For that, they ban nearly every firearm in the country? Why, here in the U.S., we’ve got gunshot death tolls that make Dunblane look like an episode of “Barney”! You don’t see us banning all our guns, do you?

Don’t they know how to deal with a little carnage over there? They should learn how to balance the value of human lives against the truly important things, like gun-company profits and NRA campaign contributions.

MICHAEL CHASKES

Los Angeles