Dear Sir/Ms.:

Since Toys-R-Us decided to make the decision not to move into the same building if the NRA put a restaurant in it, I have decided not to buy anything from Toys-R-Us and I will encourage all my friends not to as well. I take what you have done as an assault on my God-given, Constitutionally-recognized rights. Owning, selling and buying guns are legal. How would you like it if a special interest group decided that toys were detrimental to all children and tried to ban the manufacture, distribution and sales of toys? Same principle: it's wrong.

Putting lawful citizens in the same category as criminals is anti-American. It presumes and assigns guilt. In this country, one is innocent until proven guilty. We have a Constitution which recognizes the God-given right to keep and bear arms. It is to protect all of us from an oppressive government, then to protect our families and homes from criminals. This was well understood by our Founders; hence the second amendment. If you don't believe it, read the Federalist Papers. It is quite explicit.

Guns in and unto themselves are not inherently evil. Only those who use them in crimes are inherently evil. How dare you put the rest of us 83 million lawful gun owners into the same category as those criminals at Columbine. During the course of a year, gun owners legally defend themselves some 2 million times and often without firing a shot. Can't say that for most police departments. Lawful gun owners save lives, prevent women from being victims and cause crime to go away. Don't believe it? Look at Switzerland. Every able bodied male is part of a citizen army and owns their own assault weapons. They do not have our problems.

What you and your kind want is a dictatorial society. Fear the government that fears the people's guns. Gun control leads to confiscation, which leads to tyranny, which leads to genocide. History shows this: Just look at Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, and right now in the Sudan.

You and your kind want to make victims out of all of us, which makes you worse than the politicians promoting gun control laws. Gun control laws will not stop criminals from getting guns. The Irish Republican Army showed us that. Gun control laws will make victims out of law-abiding citizens. I, for one, do not want my wife and daughters to be victims. For women, guns are the very equalizer they need to protect themselves and their children. Even Rosie O'Donnell recognizes that a gun can protect her family. A gun allows them to thwart any criminals trying to physically attack them.

Most Common Reasons for Emergency Room Visits

1. Baseball/softball 404,000
2. Dog bites 334,000
3. Playground 267, 000
4. ATV*s, mopeds 125, 000
5. Volleyball 98, 000
6. In-line skating 76, 000
7. Horseback riding 71, 000
8. Baby walkers 28, 000
9. Skateboards 25, 000
(Note: There is no mention of firearm related activities)

[Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]

Top Causes of Accidental Death (1997)

1. Motor vehicles: 43, 200
2. Falls: 14, 900
3. Poisoning by solids or liquids: 8,600
4. Drowning: 4,000
5. Fires, burns and related deaths: 3,700
6. Suffocation by swallowing object: 3,300
7. Firearms-related: 1,500
8. Poisoning by gases and vapors: 700
9. Other (including medical malpractice): 13,900

[Source: National Safety Council's 1998 Accident Facts]

Fatal Accidents Among Youth (1998)

1. Motor Vehicle 47%
2. Drowning 15%
3. Fires 12%
4. Choking 4%
5. Firearms 2%

[Source: Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov)]

There are more people killed in motor vehicle accidents than are with guns. Do you want to ban the automobile? How about baseball? Doctors? Now there's an epidemic: some 700,000 people die each year due malpractice (don't have the exact citation at hand, but will dig it up if you so desire it.)

The Founders of the Constitution intended each citizen to be armed (cf. Federalist Papers) to be able to defend against an oppressive government. The Constitution was intended to restrict the government not the individual. The people who want gun control are supporting legislation for ultimately gun confiscation through an oppressive, fascist government. Those of us who still believe the Constitution is the highest law of the land will fight for our rights at every forum, every corner, piece of legislation, in the courts and everywhere necessary. As Founders stated in the Declaration of Independence, "For the support of this declaration, with the firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor," and so do I.

Greg Raab

See Also: Toys-WERE-US: Death of a Household Name