Instead of responding my Letter to the Editor printed in the Record-Bee, as most people would, somebody responded to my letter by sending an anonymous letter to home.
My letter was about the NRA and the massacre that is overtaking America.
I regret that this person didn”t feel secure enough to sign his/her name. I would have been more impressed if this person had courage enough in his/her convictions to sign a name to it.
This person called me an “idiot.” He/she stated in the letter that guns are inanimate objects and do not kill — only people kill people.
That statement, if you”ll forgive the pun, is full of holes. I have never heard or seen a gun that was able to move on its own, metal, calibration, chamber and a lethal slug waiting for someone to pull that trigger.
I believe it takes a human being. As you can see, I”m not too familiar with firearms, never felt the need of one and have managed to live to the ripe old age of 79 without resorting to them.
I have been mugged and was beaten once by a man in what can only be termed “gay bashing.”
The person further wrote that “I need to find a cause.”
I have been involved in only one cause since I was 20; justice and equality as promised in the Constitution.
From the early 50s up until the present, I have been marching, organizing and protesting for those principles and will continue to do so until I can no longer function.
This person signed the letter “A Realistic Person.”
A realistic person would have identified them self, opened a dialogue and would not have made some instant judgments about the person they perceived to be an “idiot” because they disagreed with my opinion.
But still, I thank the person for the letter. It was enlightening to read about a person of the mindset who sees the world as a dangerous place and feels the only protection is at the end of a gun barrel.
That seems to be where we are heading. It is infuriating to see such waste and paranoia.
Next time, I wish the anonymous writer would please sign a name.
Harold Riley
Clearlake
