I'm a deer hunter, I'm for gun control, and I vote.
Recently, I met with five hunting friends to try to make sense of the gun control controversy. We agreed gun control is needed, and that it is a multifaceted issue. We felt the National Rifle Association's position on gun control does a disservice to the hunting community. Its slippery-slope argument that gun control is the forerunner of government confiscation is fear-mongering. We also felt Gov. Andrew Cuomo's recently enacted gun legislation, though a step in the right direction, was rushed, poorly thought out and poorly written.
Our far-ranging discussion included pondering: the registration of guns; defining an assault weapon; the modification of assault weapons to hold limited rounds; profiling children by schools to find serious mental health problems; improving mental health resources; reducing numbers of guns held illegally; reducing the more than 300 million guns in circulation; limiting magazine capacity; requiring mandatory trigger locks; requiring gun safety education; and banning armor-piercing bullets.
Although the degree of enthusiasm varied, a number of gun control measures gained agreement.
My proposal to distribute bumper stickers reading "I'm a hunter, I'm for gun control, and I vote" was rejected out of fear that vandalism to the vehicles carrying them would ensue. Meanwhile, we encouraged writing letters to the editor, attending gun control rallies, speaking up at community meetings and contributing to groups that advocate sensible gun control.
CHARLES RIELLY
Altamont