Letter: This is not what our forebears envisioned

Sunday, April 22, 2007 | 7:15 a.m.

Regarding Frank Musaraca's April 19 letter, "Tragedy shouldn't alter the right to bear arms," the writer drags out the cliche that guns do not kill people, people kill people.

He also makes an analogy to cars, asking whether we should make cars illegal. I doubt that anyone begins his morning commute with the specific intent to mow somebody down. Columnist Bonnie Erbe's position that weapons are all too widely and easily available is correct. That is what needs to be addressed.

We read about the shootings du jour in the morning papers. When the Founding Fathers espoused the right to bear arms they did not espouse or envision children bringing guns to school and people bringing guns to parties and weddings.

The letter writer states that the right to bear arms "protects us from the people who are twisted enough to threaten our lives and the lives of another." This right did not protect the poor victims of Virginia Tech from the shooter who purchased two handguns and several magazines. We live in different times from those of the Founding Fathers. Weapons too easily get into the hands of the wrong people. We need to rethink exactly what the Founding Fathers intended and make some drastic changes before the next atrocity.

Norman A. Nero, Las Vegas