Clinton, NRA Trade Charges

Re “Clinton, NRA Trade Fire in TV ‘Shootout,’ ” March 13: The executive vice president of the National Rifle Assn., Wayne LaPierre, has said that President Clinton is willing to accept a certain level of killing to further his political agenda.

I don’t know about Clinton, but I do know that the NRA has for many years used violence to further its political agenda. For example, its call for an armed citizenry is a direct response to the issue of violence. Violence was also used in its fight against the Saturday night special ban, by arguing that poor people will be unable to afford a gun to defend themselves. There are more guns in the hands of Americans today than ever before. A success story, thanks to the NRA and its exploitation of the violence issue.

ROY T. KOBAYASHI

Fullerton

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Winston Churchill may have let the Lusitania fall prey to a German submarine to bring an outraged America into World War I. Franklin Roosevelt may have let the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor take place to shake Americans out of their isolationism in World War II. Now, the NRA says that Bill Clinton may have let federal gun laws go unenforced to bring outraged Americans to his anti-gun agenda. Given the precedents, it’s not such a farfetched notion.

Given the fact that the Clinton/Al Gore/Janet Reno Justice Department allowed nearly half a million felonious violations of the Brady law to go unprosecuted, it’s really tough not to give the points on this one to the NRA.

JOHN TIBBETTS

Canoga Park

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It is high time that Charlton Heston be taken to task for his blind ingratitude toward, and his manipulated and manipulatory barrage against, the president of the United States. Heston’s latest vitriolic, anti-Clinton/pro-gun commercial attack--even at the expense of the lives and futures of 6-year-olds--is out of all rational control. The man is not a figurehead for the NRA. He is the NRA and it must be stopped.

BEVERLY SIMONS MORSE

Manhattan Beach

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Clinton can’t have it both ways. He can’t blame the lack of gun control on the NRA if we are not going to enforce existing gun control laws.

KEN WHITE

Costa Mesa