Facts about guns

Writers are entitled to their opinions, but they are not entitled to their own set of facts — especially when they are false.

In the Saturday/Sunday edition of April 1-2 Southeast Missourian, Bonnie Jean Felkamp's column titled "Are Americans so self-righteous we no longer consider the greater good?" states inaccurate information that must be corrected.

She stated in her article that "one of our weakest links is the capacity for people to use military weapons for civilian carnage."

For the record, she was referring to the shooting in Tennessee, which is a major tragedy and should have never, ever happened, but if you are going to write about it, you must stay with the facts and not write from a position of ignorance.

First, U.S. citizens may not possess military weapons, which are capable of automatic fire. They are illegal by U.S. law, and without a special permit may not be owned by anyone other than the military. That is a fact. Her statement is false.

Two, she referenced the Tennessee disaster as an example. In that shooting, the mentally ill person committing the vile act did not have a military weapon and in fact did not even have the AR (Arma-lite) style weapon she referenced. The Federal Assault Ban law of 1993, which the facts have clearly proven, had no impact on crime or shootings. So it expired.

As a responsible and knowledgeable gun owner, know your facts if you write opinions. Don't make them up to fit your narrative,

KERRY HOLLOWAY, Cape Girardeau