Friday, September 7, 2007

It is ludicrous for D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Attorney General Linda Singer to defend the District's draconian handgun ban as having "saved countless lives" ["Fighting for Our Handgun Ban," op-ed, Sept. 4].

Year in and year out, the District ranks at or near the top among the U.S. cities with the highest murder rates.

By denying law-abiding D.C. residents the right to own and keep firearms in their homes for self-defense (currently, rifles and shotguns may be owned but must be stored inoperable and thus are useless for self-defense), D.C. residents have been rendered defenseless against violent criminals who flout not only the District's handgun ban but the gun laws of neighboring states and existing federal law on firearms.

The D.C. handgun ban has failed miserably in reducing crime or keeping D.C. residents safe, and it is offensive that politicians, who work for the people, do not trust the citizenry to legally choose for themselves how best to defend themselves and their loved ones in their own homes.

GLEN CAROLINE

Director, Grassroots Division

Institute for Legislative Action

National Rifle Association

Fairfax