MANVILLE: Civilized society depends on gun laws

To the editor:
   Gun ownership and gun responsibilities are not only political questions but also deeply spiritual issues. Their lethal capabilities can be used both for protection and for murder; require defined but not punitive regulation.
    To maintain its viability, and freedom a nation must be concerned with its civic environment- in effect, that it’s citizens feel secure in the law, the courts and most important, in safety for themselves and their children.
    The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to own and use personal arms. There are limitations as to the types an individual may own: machine guns, bazookas, grenades, nuclear weapons, etc.
    The exectutives of the National Rifle Association push for legislation to enlarge gun rights to absolute and unlimited goals. In their determination to have absolute rights, they resist any legislation which details responsibility. The language they use are that these regulations are “slippery slopes” designed to ultimately take away ALL guns.
    This is untrue and is rejected by thinking persons. Some members of the NRA who know the “slippery slope” is not and will not be imposed are now speaking out against this use of their organization.
    The executives of the NRA defend ownership of assault weapons, and 30-100 bullet magazines, whose only civilian use is to kill, generally indiscriminately and frequently in situations crowded with people and young children. For very many people the civilian availability of assault weapons actually designed for the military is not only a political issue, but a deeply spiritual one.
    There are no absolute rights in the Second Amendment; such weapons for personal use are destructive of community; they are unnecessary for personal defense ;there are plenty of other weapons for this use) If judged legal they will be allowed to be carried in public, as are other personal weapons; assault weapons are intimidating and actually create an unsafe and contentious environment; to contend that ownership is an absolute right may lead to corruption of the political arena.
    These issues will be presented to Congress. I believe it is the responsibility of our Congressman Leonard Lance to have district-wide open meetings so that in his words (Hillsborough Beacon, Jan. 10) “The important parts of my job… is to listen and respond to the concerns of Seventh District residents.”
    The New Jersey state legislators have the ýPage=008 Column=002 OK,0000.00þ
same responsibility to vote for assault weapons and magazine size bans.
    The nature of our country’s civilization depends on the passage of realistic personal gun ownership and responsibility laws.
Amadeo D’Adamo Jr.
Hillsborough