Re "Wild gun rhetoric undermines serious debate" (Editorials, Jan. 16): Any meaningful solution to the problem of gun violence will require cooperation and teamwork (and give-and-take) from both gun opponents and gun owners.
This cooperation cannot be achieved when one side demonizes guns and their owners, and puts gun owners on the defensive. This happens when pejoratives such as "assault weapon" (an undefined term that might include switchblade knives) and "the gun lobby" (National Rifle Association) are used, and when "gun control" is the sole objective (which neglects our inability to effectively treat mental illness or eliminate our movie/game culture of violence).
If you characterize gun owners as crazies or evil, don't expect cooperation from them.
-- Raymond Waugh, Volcano
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