THE NRA IS NOT THE ENEMY

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

DATE: SUNDAY, February 7, 1993                   TAG: 9302080275
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: F-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
THE NRA IS NOT THE ENEMY
THE ARTICLE published Jan. 26 in the Roanoke Times & World-News, entitled "Victim's mother enraged by NRA mail," should have been on the editorial page. This article was headlined as news when there was absolutely nothing newsworthy mentioned in it. It was all old news on mostly subjective opinion. It was obvious to me the hidden agenda, which the author wished to convey, was to discredit the National Rifle Association and to sway public opinion toward total gun control.
An example was used of a person being killed with an AK-47 rifle to support the idea of one-handgun-per-month legislation. Don't you people know the difference between a rifle and a pistol, or is it that you want them all banned?
I'm sorry for the mother in her loss and that she had to go "ballistic." But the reality is that her son would have probably suffered the same fate by any other means, given the type of person who killed him and the engagement in whatever behavior that led to his demise.
When are you people going to realize that the NRA is not the enemy? We are a group of people just like you who just happen to promote safe, responsible and legal handling of firearms as well as tough criminal penalties against the illegal and reckless handling of the same. ROBERT D. O'NEAL PULASKI

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB