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

DATE: FRIDAY, February 5, 1993                   TAG: 9302050417
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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SAVE THE CITIES; NEVER MIND THE NRA

THE NATIONAL Rifle Association holds our country hostage. Our representatives do not vote their conscience on gun-control legislation because they are afraid. Intimidation by NRA members goes so far as to harass by threatening and crank phone calls people whose letters are printed on the editorial pages of the newspapers opposing their views. This organization would not hesitate to take away our freedom of speech, or the freedom of the press if it disagrees with its view.

The NRA's words attempt to show it as a patriotic organization, concerned about constitutional rights, while its actions portray its irresponsible unconcern with our society as a whole. The organization seems not to care about what happens in our cities, their rationalization being, "Enforce the laws and you'll fix the crime problem." It's hard to believe even the NRA could believe such a simplistic statement. Our cities are crime-ridden and saturated with guns, and the flood continues unabated.

We must adopt responsible gun-control legislation before the toll on society is so great as to be irreversible. The fate of our cities is the fate of our country. We will respect and vote for those representatives who are brave enough to stand up to the NRA. MARGIE DULLE ROANOKE

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