In response to Ron Lowe’s letter printed May 25, let me say that Mr. Lowe is mistaken about “gun owners who don’t seem to get it.”

He states that “racists, sociopaths and lunatics” cannot be deterred by higher prison sentences, and that keeping guns out of the hands of the “unbalanced segment” is the logical action that is spurring the call for “sensible and thorough” gun control.

Actually, the problem is not gun owners, but the absolute unwillingness of hoplophobe (weapon phobic) groups to compromise.

Handgun Control Inc. is not willing to say to the NRA, “If you support our proposals on safety locks, background checks and restrictions on ownership by the mentally ill, we’ll support your proposals on concealed-carry permit reform and immunity from civil suits for justifiable shootings.”

Even if the NRA proposed such a compromise, it would never be accepted. Simply put, hoplophobes are fanatics.

They don’t want a world with very few unjustifiable firearms homicides — they just want all firearms gone.

Like Gavin Salmon, the Daily Evergreen columnist, they have confused the means with the ends.

Furthermore, their sense of moral and intellectual superiority is so tied to their position, that they can’t modify it.

They, Mr. Lowe, are the ones who don’t get it, because they don’t want to get it.

Roger J. M. Hughes

Senior

English