ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 5, 1992                   TAG: 9203050475
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

CAN'T COMPARE AIRCRAFT TO WEAPONS

IN HIS Feb. 21, letter, "Outlaw airplanes because of crashes?", Regan Underwood compared apples to oranges.

Airplanes may cause hundreds of deaths each year. But can you really liken them to a weapon frequently wielded with forethought, malice and deadly results?

Guns should not be blamed for the tragedies in which they are involved. But it would not be twisting facts or lying to say that with tougher gun-control laws, we might not hear the many sad stories we do of gun use gone mad.

And while responsible gun owners should not be penalized for the acts of the irresponsible, it appears to me that stricter gun control wouldn't affect those who purchase and use firearms within legal guidelines. SARAH K. BABIARZ ROANOKE 


 by CNB