‘Now It’s Buy a Gun, Go to Florida’

In his article “Now It’s Buy a Gun, Go to Florida,� (Op-Ed Page, Nov. 15) Neal Peirce points out the power that the National Rifle Assn. is asserting to repeal our established gun laws and uses the recent change in Florida’s 72-hour “cooling-off� period when purchasing a gun as one example of the NRA’s clout.

As a person who tries to obey the laws, I prefer to have the guns in the hands of law enforcement officers. Do we as a nation want to return to the days of the “Wild West� when gunslingers roamed the streets and took the law into their own hands? Surely an educated and civilized country such as ours would not want to take such a giant step backwards.

I am not suggesting that private citizens should not own guns but that they should be under strict laws and licensed. The system we live under now has our cars licensed, our driving privileges licensed, and many other facets of our lives licensed.

With the recent shootings on California freeways I am strongly against any changes in the gun laws that would allow or encourage people to go out and purchase handguns.

Peirce states that a new Gallup Poll shows that 60% of Americans favor stricter laws on handgun sales.

The NRA has a very strong and wealthy gun lobby so we as citizens need to let our elected representatives know what our feelings are on stronger handgun laws.

MARY ANN MESSICK

Diamond Bar