Dear Editor,

Re: “Local residents fear anti-gun laws after Colorado shooting,” July 28 Daily Journal

This article describes fear and hand-wringing among a number of locals over possible gun legislation in the wake of the Aurora, Colorado, shootings.

A word to those folks: take a deep breath, push back the bed covers (change your sheets if necessary), and loosen your grip from that pile of guns and ammunition. Neither President Obama, nor any liberals, are coming to take your firearms. The NRA has sufficient ownership of Congress and various state legislatures to ensure that.

Many years ago, before I ended my NRA membership, I received scary letters, either from Mr. Heston or Mr. La Pierre, warning me that Ted Kennedy and other liberal bogeymen were hatching plans to confiscate my guns, and my timely checks written to their organization could best prevent it.

Alas, neither the murders of Mr. Kennedy’s brothers, nor Rev. M.L. King Jr., nor the four shootings which included President Reagan, nor a bloody trail of mass shootings from San Ysidro, Calif., Killeen, Tex., Columbine, Colo., Virginia Tech, to Ft. Hood, Tex. (to name a few of the more infamous cases), have resulted in much effective, lasting regulation of firearms, let alone confiscation.

The Aurora shooter evidently had little trouble obtaining both an assault rifle and thousands of rounds of ammo. Concerned citizens, locally and nationwide, can rest easy, you can still ‘lock and load’ and lay down a sufficient base of fire to protect your homes!

Douglas Smith

Rockingham