Weapons Used by Federal Agents
Re “Help Promote Fewer Guns--for the Feds,” by James Bovard, Commentary, May 3: As a comparatively recent immigrant to L.A. from a country with a relatively small gun problem (Canada, 1996), I have been pleased to see how The Times has dealt with the gun control issue. Most civilized persons from other parts of the world must surely look on the American situation with amazement, at least when amazement is not tempered by disgust. The Times has on the whole approached this issue from the civilized point of view. The proliferation of weapons has been viewed as one of the root causes of violence.
Now you have, perhaps out of an admirable sense of fairness, printed this piece that, in the guise of defending the control of guns, takes issue with the number of weapons owned and operated by federal officials. Bovard’s ostensible point of wishing to limit the issuing of guns to INS and other federal agents is obviously a cover for the traditional NRA linking of freedom and individual gun ownership. I trust that most readers will see through Bovard’s modest veil of satire to the truth of his views and reject them as propaganda.
BRUCE WHITEMAN
Santa Monica
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Bovard is a libertarian who has written extensively against “statism,” the term he applies to what I call a democracy under a federal system. Bovard claims that “democracy” is a sham. This is an extreme viewpoint.
Elian Gonzalez was being held hostage by his great-uncle and the house was surrounded by hostile parties. The INS recovery of Elian was textbook perfect. I was once caught in a hostage standoff and was very relieved when, after a night of terror, the SWAT team recovered the hostages without casualties and killed the gunman. He had a suitcase full of automatic weapons and had killed one person and wounded four others.
JEAN ROSENFELD
Pacific Palisades
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A disgruntled teenager wielding a knife kills a woman on a bus in Japan and a Japanese motorist says, “It’s becoming more and more like America” (May 4). Not really. If you really want to make Japan like America, you need to bring over the NRA. Not only would the politicians be a lot richer, but disgruntled people on buses (or most anywhere else) would have access to automatic weapons.
RON WHITTAKER
Palm Springs