Dear Editor:

The Colorado movie theatre massacre was, indeed, a dreadful act perpetrated by a deranged individual, a madman. This incident, however awful, does not give anti-gunners cause to persecute all the law-abiding gun owners out there. My family and I do enjoy going target shooting with many different firearms. I do believe in the right to keep and bear arms. I firmly believe in the Second Amendment. Does this make me a fanatic?

Neither guns, nor ammunition, kill people. People kill people. If some madman wants to kill a roomful of people, they will find a way to do that. Suppose that Colorado madman had chosen to use a bomb or poison gas he had made. Would there still be “certain types” running their mouths wanting to outlaw household items that were used to make those deadly items? I think not! This is just an excuse for someone who already has close-mindedly and ignorantly decided to hate guns to try to get others to think the way they do. Guns and ammunition are just inanimate objects and can do NO harm on their own. People are the part of the equation that turns an inanimate object into a weapon. ANYTHING can be used as a weapon depending on the person in whose hands you place it.

Tammy Steinmetz
East Boothbay