Gun regulations

Regarding “Inaction on gun laws is not the NRA’s fault” (Page A15, Friday), columnist Jonah Goldberg uses the same distraction technique so common in politics today. He starts a discussion of mass shooting incidents and resultant gun control pleas and quickly says the “reason for the status quo is a supermajority of Americans do not want a ban on private gun ownership.”

A gun control initiative to ban semi-automatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines is not a ban on private gun ownership. It is a reasonable restriction against the private ownership of weapons designed for military use.

Likewise, a mandatory background check for all gun purchases is not a ban on gun ownership. It is a reasonable check to ensure a person meets legal requirements to own a gun.

Goldberg should quote verifiable statistics on how many Americans would oppose these measures. His technique of quoting a statistic that has nothing to do with the topic at hand is similar to the bait and switch techniques of a disreputable salesman.

Greg Ray, Houston