Does The Post Back Any Gun Rights?

I am not a member of the National Rifle Association, a hunter or a District resident, so my dog in this fight is small.

However, as a reader of The Post for almost 40 years, I was not surprised by your vitriolic editorial response to the appeals court ruling on the District's ban on keeping handguns in homes ["Dangerous Ruling," editorial, March 10]. Indeed, I do not recall seeing you take a position endorsing the personal possession of firearms.

I would deeply appreciate The Post taking a clear editorial position on this matter. Do you believe, for example, that personal ownership of handguns, or of all firearms, should be banned? Do you favor restrictions such as requiring owners to place weapons under state control -- for example, at police stations? Do you think that the Second Amendment should be repealed because it is self-evident that a state should be able to raise and equip forces for its own defense?

The Post owes its readers a "where we stand" position on the editorial page.

-- David T. Jones

Arlington