Gun Rights Amid Security Crackdown

Re “Gun Control Remains a Loaded Issue for Democratic Candidates,” by John Lott Jr. and Grover Norquist, Commentary, Feb. 6: I am a “latte-drinking” liberal who learned how to properly handle and shoot guns before I was in high school. In my opinion, schools should teach every child how to handle a gun long before he or she gets to high school. Education and understanding are the basis of our freedoms, including the 2nd Amendment.

I do not currently own a gun. However, if the Republican ideology continues to gain dominance in this country, that will change. Increasingly, I see the Republican right embracing fascism in the suppression of dissent; communism in wholesale government subsidies for the biggest businesses; and narcissism in the misguided claim that its violent, greedy, self-centered ideology is somehow compassionate. If George W. Bush is reelected, I expect to see storm troopers. When jackbooted men begin dragging vocal dissenters from their homes, the true value of the 2nd Amendment will become evident, even to liberal Democrats who have never handled a gun.

David L. Hagan

Pismo Beach

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Lott and Norquist talk about gun control as though they are independent experts on the issue, but nothing could be further from the truth. While Norquist correctly notes that he is the head of Americans for Tax Reform, it must have slipped his mind that he is also a long-standing board member of the National Rifle Assn.

Lott and Norquist claim that the man charged with violating a city handgun ban in Wilmette, Ill., had “met state regulations” for registering his handgun, which is not true. In reality, his state registration was expired, meaning that he was also in violation of state gun laws. Perhaps if Lott and Norquist were more forthcoming, they could overcome some of the credibility gap they have created.

Christopher K. McGrath

Executive Director

Handgun-Free America

Arlington, Va.