The NRA never condones the misuse of guns

I would like to respond to Heather Rebic's Aug. 19 letter ("NRA Victory"). The National Rifle Association and its 4 million-plus members do not condone the misuse of firearms. We never have and never will. We certainly do not consider the LA Fitness shooting as a victory of some kind, as she states.

Ms. Rebic should review what happened because no "assault-type weapons" were used in the crime, as she seems to believe. George Sodini had four handguns along with extra ammo and clips. He used two of the handguns to commit the crime. He fired a single round from the third gun to take his own life and never fired the fourth. He would have been able to commit this crime with or without the assault weapons ban. If handguns were outlawed, he could have committed this crime with a shotgun meant for hunting. The people in this man's life could have prevented this crime, not more gun control.

The NRA and its members support the safe use of firearms -- for hunting, target shooting and, God forbid, self-defense. Our Founding Fathers realized the importance of armed citizens after we fought the British and formed our country. The Second Amendment is the most important right that we have.

JOHN A. BALL
Baden