Heston Not to Blame for Misuse of Guns

George Clark (letter, Aug. 21) blames Charlton Heston for the deeds of criminals misusing guns and asks if Heston would weep about these deeds. I am sure Heston feels sorrow about these events, as any decent person would. However, to blame him for them is ridiculous. One might as well blame a car enthusiast for bank robbery. (Robbers couldn’t do it without a getaway car, right?)

Far from weeping about what he has accomplished, Heston should, and probably does, take great pride in having fought for a right considered so important by the founding fathers that they put it second in the Bill of Rights. Voluminous research shows that murder rates go down when citizens are permitted to carry concealed firearms. At the same time, no law has ever stopped lawbreakers from having items they want. Just think about drugs inside prisons. Gun bans simply disarm the law-abiding, thereby emboldening criminals. Heston’s efforts have saved many lives on balance. Bravo to a brave man for a job well done and best wishes for the strength to carry on!

Jaco van der Colff

Woodland Hills

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As someone who has known and worked with Charlton Heston for 20 years, I am not surprised at all that he maintained a sense of self-respect in the face of the devastating experience of Alzheimer’s disease (“Heston Faces His Illness Squarely,” Aug. 18). In our work together he taught me the prime importance of grace under pressure. Watching his sad announcement only reminded me of the courage I have witnessed in him countless times in private.

Michael Levine

Los Angeles